Arete

Usage

General

Surviving

• This build has moderate passive defense
• This build has no mobility skill access
• This builds has low active defenses
  • Be conservative with Trail of Anguish, it is your only stunbreak
  • Save Deathly Swarm to clear movement imparing conditions
  • Use your three barrier skills in the following order if needed to survive once you run out of endurance to Dodge:
    • Sand Flare
      • Don't use Sand Flare if the cast is likely to be interrupted
    • Sand Cascade
    • Desert Shroud

Overall Priorities

High

• Wells
• Boon rip

Moderate

• Shades
• Sustained damage
• Single target damage

Low

• Support

Specific Priorities

Skill priority

• Well of Corruption + Well of Suffering - always together, on call
• Ghastly Breach
• Desert Shroud

Axe

• Unholy Feast
• Spinal Shivers - only on signle target
• Manifest Sand Shade + Nefarious Favor - procs Path of Corruption
• Ghastly Claws
• Soul Grasp - only if low on Life Force

Scepter

• Devouring Darkness
• Enfeebling Blood
• Manifest Sand Shade + Nefarious Favor - procs Path of Corruption
• Grasping Dead

Detailed Explanations

Wells

• Try to save your Well skills for the commanders call
  • If you aren't using voice communication, use your wells at the same time as the other Necromancers in your group
• Cast Well of Corruption before Well of Suffering, due to the longer cooldown
• Only use your Well skills at the same time, do not use one early and desync their cooldowns
• When using ground AoEs like Well of Corruption or Well of Suffering, try to place them so that one edge is on the enemy group and the other edge is in the direction they are moving to

Boon rip

• Use Ghastly Breach when the enemy group is pushing towards you or your group is in melee

• Manifest Sand Shade + Nefarious Favor

Shade spike

• Never use your final charge of Manifest Sand Shade when there is 15 seconds or less left on Desert Shroud's cooldown
• Your shade spike consists of casting Manifest Sand Shade before casting Desert Shroud + Nefarious Favor + Garish Pillar

Single target damage

• Use Spinal Shivers ⇒ Ghastly Claws ⇒ Rending Claws pick off isolated players

Sustained damage

• Start fights on Scepter/Dagger to maximize ranged uptime
• Use Unholy Feast and Devouring Darkness immediately after Weapon Swap and use them again immediately before swapping back
  • Delaying your Weapon Swap slightly for the cooldown is fine

Support

• Barrier lasts 5 seconds after application before decaying
• Use Sand Flare and Sand Cascade before pushes and during extended engages
• Pay attention to allies with Illusion of Life used on them, apply barrier before the buff times out
  • Illusion of Life begins flashing on the buff bar at 5 seconds remaining
• Use Nefarious Favor as a desperation condition clear if you have no other options