Curse

Hella Good · Oct 19, 2006, 07:18 PM // 19:18

NF introduces 2 new large AoE hexes: Ulcerous Lungs and Meakness. At 1st these seem like nothing special- Meakness is simply a large area version of Shadow of Fear that has longer recharge and life sac involved; Ulcerous Lungs is simply a spin off Suffering with the added benefit of causing foes that use Shouts or Chants to bleed. I have seen a lot of people dismiss these skills and I can see why this is so.

However, there is another aspect of these skills that make them extremely potent. They are large AoE. This isn't the Shadow of Fear/Reckless Haste adjacent area, we are talking nearby + here. The reason why Necros should be excited about these hexes is because large AoE hexes overwhelm hex management. Suffering has been used in the past in hex heavy builds for this purpose. But imagine tossing Ulcerous Lungs on top of Suffering- that is 4 degen in a nearby area, which puts some pressure, and at the same time 2 hexes on all of the affected foes. Make that 3 hexes if you toss in Meakness. Despite the extremely powerful hex removal skills coming into play (and currently in the metagame), the sheer number of these hexes spread over so many foes overheats even the most elaborate hex management.

The result: hex heavy is once again possible. And that opens many doors in both the Necro and Mesmer lines (the most heavy hex users). It is esp. good news for Necros because there are wonderful hexes already available to us that are not used just because of hex removal concerns.

I think ANet have come up with some positive changes to the Necro line of skills (esp. in Curses and Soul Reaping) that make the profession so much more plausible in a PvP environment.

We'll have to wait and see how things play out but with hex heavy back and the wonderful new support skills in SR, I think Necros are looking good for PvP in NF.

Jeff Highwind · Oct 20, 2006, 02:52 AM // 02:52

I was gonna mention FoC but then I realized that the AoE there is rather limited. Back on topic, I can now see monks specializing in speed hex-removal if your thesis is correct. Contemplation of Purity and Hex-Eater signet can be good to clear out a stack of hexes (Degen necro's ftw!), while Holy Veil might be seeing used for somthing other than running.

Cover Hexing also just got alot more fun. My necro's gonna love Elona.

Hella Good · Oct 20, 2006, 04:18 AM // 04:18

There really isn't much in terms of countering AoE hexes. Sure you can remove a stack of 2 hexes of one target w/o much difficulty but you can't do the same with 8 targets. And if these large AoE hexes are used in a hex heavy build, targets are going to get much more than just 2 hexes ea.