Spiteful Spirit - The Curse of Cassie

[Edem]

I guess anyone could do a quick search on gameamp, guildwiki or any other pages to find the basic, most useful build, but now this is the way I use it; and since I added some Factions skills too, it differs from those builds a bit.
The whole build is based on the fact that while Spiteful Spirit deals AoE damage, it won't trigger the AoE scattering of the AI. Spam that on warriors and other foes stacking in a group and let them kill themselves.

First, some abbreviations. SS stands for Spiteful Spirit, which is the spine of the build. SV is Sympathetic Visage, also a very preferred skill, but can be done without that. BR is Blood Ritual, an important skill for all necromancers - this is the skill why monks (and some elementalists) love necros. Now you all know what "55 lf SS/SV" means in ToA.
_{Note: 55 means 55hp monk.}

Profession: N/Me. You'll only use two Mesmer skills, but without them, the build's efficiency is halved.

First, let's see into the skills. (The E, C, R stand for Energy Cost, Casting Time and Recharge Time).

• Spiteful Spirit [E] (Curses)
  
  • Campaign: Prophecies
    
  • Energy: 15, Casting time: 2; Recharge: 10
    
  • Details: For 8...18 seconds, whenever target foe attacks or uses a skill, Spiteful Spirit deals 5...29 shadow damage to that foe and all adjacent foes.
    
  • Capture: Nighh SpineChill (South of Camp Rankor); Ceru Gloomrunner (Iron Mines of Moladune mission; near the cave with the Seer); Sapph Blacktracker (Snake Dance).
    
  • Notes: Spam it. Use it on active foes: attacking warriors, casting casters. Don't waste it on passive/sleeping monsters or players.
    
  
  
• Arcane Echo (No Attribute)
  
  • Campaign: Core
    
  • E: 15; C: 2; R: 30
    
  • Details: Enchantment Spell. If you cast a "spell" in the next 20 seconds, Arcane Echo is replaced with that spell for 20 seconds. Arcane Echo ends prematurely if you use a non-spell skill.
    
  • Trainers: Ephaz (Beetletun); Zhao Di (Shing Jea Monastery)
    
  • Notes: If there are 3 or more enemies, cast it before Spiteful Spirit, if there's only one, don't waste energy on it.
    
  
  
• Sympathetic Visage (Illusion magic)
  
  • Campaign: Prophecies
    
  • E: 10; C: 1; R: 30
    
  • Details: For 8...18 seconds, whenever target ally is hit by a melee attack, all adjacent foes lose all Adrenaline and 3 Energy.
    
  • Notes: Use it on an ally who's surrounded with melee fighters, this skill will keep them from using painful skills.
    
  • This skill has a Factions duplicate, called Ancestor's Visage, obtainable from Michiko in Kaineng Center.
    
  
  
• Reckless Haste (Curses)
  
  • Campaign: Factions
    
  • E: 10; C: 2; R: 25
    
  • Details: For 5...17 seconds, target foe and all adjacent foes are Hexed with Reckless Haste. While Hexed, they attack 25% faster, but have a 15...43% chance to miss with attacks.
    
  • Trainer: Michiko (Kaineng center)
    
  • Notes: Use this when the enemy group's average HP is at around 25%, or when a group of melee fighters surround a weak ally.
    
  
  
• Desecrate Enchantments (Curses)
  
  • Campaign: Prophecies
    
  • E: 10; C: 2; R: 15
    
  • Details: Target foe and all nearby foes take 6...49 shadow damage and 4...17 shadow damage for each enchantment on them.
    
  • Trainer: Harnil (Marhan's Grotto)
    
  • Notes: This skill doesn't trigger scattering either, so it's safe to use on groups. It will more damage on enchanted foes, but the base damage is also good. Since you will put points only into Curses, this will be your only direct damage spell.
    
  • This skill is easiest to achive by capturing from Lord Timot whne doing the Reversing the Skales quest.
    
  
  
• Awaken The Blood (Blood Magic)
  
  • Campaign: Prophecies
    
  • E: 10; C: 1; Re: 30
    
  • Details: For 20...39 seconds, you gain +2 Blood Magic and +2 Curses, but whenever you sacrifice Health, you sacrifice 50% more than the normal amount.
    
  • Trainer: Mazzim (Fishermen's Haven), Tengsao (The Amnoon Oasis)
    
  • Notes: Always use this before combat, since all spells you'll be using will be Curses spells. Beware though, don't use Blood Ritual too much while this is on.
    
  
  
• Blood Ritual (Blood Magic)
  
  • Campaign: Prophecies
    
  • E: 10; C: 2; R: 2
    
  • Details: Sacrifice 17% max Health. For 8...13 seconds, target touched ally gains +3 Energy regeneration. Blood Ritual cannot be used on the caster.
    
  • Trainers: Sorim (Quarrel Falls), Master Scout Kiera (Henge of Denravi)
    
  • Notes: This is the skill why casters (especially monks) love necros. You can't use it on yourself, but you can help the monks, just watch for their energy calls. Beware though: this is a touch skill (though you only have to touch to initiate casting, they can walk away while you finish the invocation).
    
  • This skill is available through the quest "The Last Hog"
    
  
  
• Resurrection Signet - no need to introduce.
  

Armor:
Use the headgear with +1 Curses, and Scar Pattern armor from Droks, or Cabalist armor from Kaineng - you'll need the extra energy. Use a Superior Curses, Minor Blood and Minor Soul Reaping rune, and any vigor rune you can afford. (I usually put the Curses rune to the headgear for flexibility with the armor, and I use a major vigor rune.)

Stats:

• Curses: 12 +1(headgear) +3 (rune)
  
• Illusion Magic: 10
  
• Blood Magic: 6 +1 (rune)
  
• Soul Reaping: 6 +1(rune)
  

Weapon:
A collector's Wicked Staff from the Crystal Desert or Southern Shiverpeaks (for 20% faster cast/recharge), with insightful +5 mod, and either fortitude +30 or curses 20%. The enchant mod won't do too much good here. Another option is a +5 energy sword or wand with a 20/20 accursed icon, but always keep a wand or staff prepared.

Usage:
Very straightforward. Before battle, put Awaken on, then use Arcane Echo and cast SS on a foe, echoed SS on a nearby one. Use Reckless Haste on large warrior mobs to make their suicide faster (and make them miss a lot), and Desecrate enchantments to weaken them further. If warriors surround you, cast Reckless haste on them and try to run. Oh, and remember: npc rangers will keep shooting at you even if you're obstruced.

Variations:
In larger teams, Sympathetic Visage can be hard to use, especially if there's no designated aggroer. Take another area curse, like Suffering, and put the points from Illusion Magic to Soul Reaping, the rest into Blood Magic.

Notes:

• I usually use this build for 55/SS runs, but it has further possibilities. I succesfully used it in Abaddon's Mouth, capping Verata's Sacrifice from Verata in Kessex Peak, and in Vizunah Foreign.
  
• This build has its full potential at level20, but it can be powerful on lower levels too. If your curses is low, don't use Reckless Haste, because it could increase the enemy's damage output, instead of decreasing it.
  

[Edem]

One more note: this is not a one-man build, this is a support role. Keep the tanking for warriors and don't make the monks' work harder. They will keep you alive if you don't take unneccessary risks, and if you help them keep their energy level at high peak.

[Sir Smeg]

Well, I'm not a necromancer at heart, nor do I think I ever will be, but I have to say that I am in envy of the skill this guide is based around. I do worry how expensive in terms of energy it is, though. But then again, I don't know the strengths of a Necromancer when it comes to energy management... I suppose that soul reaping pays it back in dividends.

As for the guide itself, it was thorough and contained all the required information in very logical and intuitive format. Good, except it made my soul hurt

[kevx3]

bah damn death dealers...

What would be fun for SV in PVP battles is that your monk stays right next to their monk. You can gaurantee that the enmy will attack your monk zealously and with SV will kill the efficiency of their monk aswell ... or do people do this anyways?

[Edem]

Sidenote: I used this build during the Urgoz run, but with Necrotic Traversal instead of Sympathetic Visage - that means the points from Illusion Magic can be redistributed between Blood Magic and Soul Reaping. No need to raise Death Magic; Necro trav is only used to get on top of the bridge in room 2 to open the doors.

• Necrotic Traversal (Death Magic)
  
  • Campaign: Prophecies
    
  • Energy: 5, Casting time: ¾
    
  • Details: Exploit a random corpse. You teleport to that corpse's location and all nearby foes become Poisoned for 5...17 seconds.
    
  • Trainer: Firstwatch Sergio (Lion's Arch)
    
  • Notes: Used only in Urgoz's Warren to get on the bridge in room 2.
    
  • This skill is available through the quest "Renegade Necromancer".
    
  
  

[Edem]

...so, how to do UW with this build, you might wonder. Well, first
find an 55monk who won't die in the first corner. Unfortunately I'm
less than little experienced in that part, you'll have to rely on
gwiki or others' tutorship. Next, keep in mind that you'll use 5
skills very often, 1 barely often, 1 rarely, and 1 hopefully never.
Clicking with the mouse might not be fast enough, so rely to the
keyboard. I assign Q to Use skill 5 and E to Use skill 6. Since I use
the WASD for moving¹, I have 5 shortcuts very close
(1,2,3,Q,E), and one fairly close (4). I also assign 0 to select party
member The Monk (I usually have to reassign, because entering UW
usually changes the team's order...) Note that I use a hungarian
keyboard, where 0 is to the left of 1; on english keyboards it's the
key `. Skill order is (1) Spiteful Spirit (SS), (2) Arcane Echo (AE),
(3) Sympathetic Visage or Ancestral Visage (SV), (4) Awaken the Blood
(AB), (Q) Desecrate Enchantments or Defile Enchantments (DE), (E)
Reckless Haste (RH), (7) Blood Ritual (BR), (8) res sig.

Notes: You always cast SV on the monk. Always. Use BR on the monk
after killing a group to speed up regen process.

Let's see the different strategies for the different groups - note
I've only cleared the Labyrinth, the Forgotten Vale and the Ice Wastes
yet; strategies for further planes are to develop.

General rules:

• The most important is to listen carefully: if you hear
  or see a Dying Nightmare popping up, it's your first 4 priorities. No
  kidding. If it can rend the monk's enchantments, while they are having
  an aggro, the trip is actually over in 2 seconds. Fortunately, you can
  kill it with 2-3 hits with a max dmg staff or a wand (2 if it's
  customized). (If the team has a support passenger with interrupts
  equipped, you have a bit more time.) When you approach a new team, put
  a paperweight on the left ctrl, only release it for the fragment of a
  second when you press the key to activate a skill so you don't spam
  the team chat. Or not even then. Remember: the monks can survive for
  adequately long while they have the enchantments on. (Actually,
  even for minutes, with a little skill.)
  
  
• Second important, aggro control. An Aatxe kills you with 2-3
  hits, a Grasp kills you with 5-8. If they are far from you but close
  to the monk but start to run towards you, run away and pray they go
  back to the monk. If they are closer to you, then lead them to the
  monk. Same goes for smites, though they are not that dangerous to your
  health.
  
  
• Third, the "wide" rule. If you see less -41 (or -37, without
  AB) numbers than the number of the group, step back and shout 'wide'
  so the monk can try to get them closer to each other. (Mostly happens
  with only 2 foes hitting the monk from the opposite sides, or 2
  hitting form one side and a third one hitting from the other.)
  
  
• Fourth, the "active" rule. If a foe doesn't do anything,
  don't use SS on it. Use SS on its neighbour.

Now, the specific strategies:

• Bladed Aatxes (Aatxes): Melee fighters; highest
  damage output. They can use energy based interrupts, cause Bleeding
  and Deep Wound.
  
  • Aatxes - 3-6: AB, AE; wait until the monk gets and holds the
    aggro, use SS on a central Aatxe. Target another Aatxe, cast RH, then
    SS. Based on how much time you waited between AB and the first SS, you
    should use the full chain (SS-RH-SS) without delay; and probably you
    still have enough energy for a DE too. However, if there are 4 or more
    aatxes, then cast SV instead of DE. Whenever an SS recharges (and you
    have enough energy, cast it on an Aatxe. (Note: after a little
    practice you'll be able to decide when to wait 2 more secs so the
    echoed SS recharges too so you can cast that instead of the hard SS.)
    
    
  • Aatxe - alone: AB, SS, SV, AE, DE and attack the Aatxe with
    your staff. Use DE (and echoed DE) whenever possible, but always keep
    SS on it. Killing one Aatxe usually takes more time than killing 3.
    
    
  • Aatxe - 2: Usually it's the same as 3 or more, however at
    certain times (like, when they don't approach at the same time) when
    you has to follow the 1 Aatxe way. The "Wide" rule is important here.
    
    
  • Aatxe - 6 or more: The monk should try to pull a smaller
    group out. If that's not possible, then refer to the 3-6 way, though
    try to keep SV on the monk as long as possible.
    
    (Optimal Aatxe group: 3-4)
    
  
  
• Grasping Darknesses (Grasps): Melee fighters,
  moderate damage, low health. Energy based interrupts is their
  nastiness.
  
  • Grasps - 1-6: Use SV when they enter the monks aggro range,
    then AB, AE, SS on a central one, target another, SS, RH, DE. Be sure
    to use SV so it's active when they reach the monk but stays on as long
    as possible so they don't spam interrupts. If you time well, they are
    dead before you cast DE.
    
    
  • Grasps - 6 or more: AE, SV (when they enter the monk's aggro
    range), SS, RH. Keep SV on the monk², cast SS on a
    different Grasp whenever it recharges. The 1-6 way can also work, but
    might be a bit risky.
    
    (Optimal Grasp group: 3-8. Seriously.)
    
  
  
• Smite Crawlers (Smites): melee fighting monks with
  Balthazar aura and smite hex. You need to drain their energy before
  hexing them.
  
  • Smites - 1-2: Keep SV on the monk². When the hard
    SV's recharge is at 3/4, AB, SS, RH, DE. Pay attention to the "Wide"
    rule.
    
    
  • Smites - 3-6: Keep SV on the monk² (you probably
    won't need the third SV). When the hard SV's recharge is at 1/3, cast
    AB. After casting the echoed SV, use SS, RH, DE and watch the drops.
    
    
  • Smites - 6 or more: like the 3-6, but you might use SS
    before renewing SV.
    
    (Optimal smite group: 5-6.)
    
  
  
• Coldfire Nights (Coldies): Elementalists with ranged attack. Their Maelstorm can be really deadly, fortunately SB protects against it. SV is useless. They are a pain in the... UW.
  
  • Coldfire Nights³ - 2-3: AB, AE, SS, SS, RH, DE.
    If there's 3 of them, at least two are usually close to each other,
    take those down first. If they start to target you, run away. Rust is
    not a problem, Maelstorm is a life threat. They are nasty, and they
    don't even drop ectos.
    
    
  • Coldfire Nights - 4-6: Separate them. If it's impossible,
    concentrate on close groups of 2-3 and take those down with the same
    tactics as if there was only that many.
    
    
  • Coldfire Nights - 6 or more: If you can't separate them,
    wait and hope they separate themselves.
    
    (Optimal smite group: 2-3)
    
  
  
• Terrorweb Dryders (Terrors): Elementalists; they walk in groups of 3. If the monk is skilled, they are a smallr threat than coldies.
  
  • Terrorweb Dryders - 3: Same tactics as for Coldfires,
    however, concentrate to kill one at a time. (Of course if you weaken
    the others meanwhile, that's good.)
    
  
  
• Mixed group: 2 Aatxes and 3 Grasps: this is a usual mix near
  the gate that leads to the Ice Wastes. Use the tactics for Grasps -
  2-3; and target the grasps first. The third SS should always be casted
  on an Aatxe, since Grasps will be almost dead by then.
  

Always try to kill "clean" groups, that is, groups of the same type,
then regen skills. Sweep open places for dying nightmares. Note that
the tactics for the same type of foes are basically the same,
difference might only appear on skill timing.

These are the basic tactics - however, Dying Nightmares can tumble the
plans. If you spend too much time killing a nightie, be sure to use SV
first, and skip AB until later. After some practice, you'll be able to
do a nice comeback even if there's 3 nighties popping.


And remember: both members of the team are important. The necro can't
survive, but the monk usually can't deal damage. (And the monk won't
equip any res, they need all the 8 slots.) Try to practice with the
same monk if possible - developing a routine together will
dramatically improve performance.


---
Footnotes:

¹ Q and E are default assigned to sidestepping, but since
holding down the right mouse button modifies A and D to sidestep, I
don't need a duplicate keys for them.

² Keeping SV on the monk: note that with Illusion Magic 10,
SV lasts for 16 seconds, and its recharge is 30 seconds. So, when the
recharge-o-meter reaches 6 o'clock, SV is active for 1 more seconds.
So, the techinque is:
* cast AE
* cast SV
* a little bit (max 1 second) before SV's recharge hits the half, cast echoed SV
* when SV recharges, cast it
That way you can keep it up for roughly 45 seconds, which is usually
more than enough. Note that no matter how long you wait after AE (as
long as it's less than 20 seconds), it will keep SV for 20 seconds.
Use that delay to enhance timing of SV.

³Stalking Nights are equivalent to Coldfire Nights, but
they are smaller and lower in level. They use different spells, but
the same tactics applies for them. Though take the Coldfires out
first, if possible. Stalking Nights' threat level is about 2/3 of a
Coldie.

[Nate Alluran]

A very nice in depth guide, very well written and clear

I know this a necro guide, still, I do have a few comments about what you said on monks here:

• Monks and Res:Monks can and should take a res when running uw with a necro, any monk who says he can't spare a slot for it needs to check his priorities
  
• Monk Survival: The only situation the monk really *needs* the necro for survival is against the grasps, who can drain his energy using "Fear Me!". Depending on your monks build, coldfires could give him some trouble as well if you don't take them down fast.
  
• Dealing with Coldfires: If the monk can take a low price, quick (1/4 sec cast) heal it will make these really easy to deal with since malestorm will interrupt anything with a longer cast (including Healing Breeze)
  

.

Accept my complements on a job well done, If I were you I'd consider upping this guide onto some of the community sites so everyone can benefit from it. ;D

[Edem]

Monks and res: they need the slot for other skills, so just keep yourself from trouble. Actually, if things go well, you won't take a single hit.
Coldfires: echo SB.