In Guild Wars 2, one of the biggest moments for a character and their player is that triumphant moment when they reach level 30 and gain access to the last button on their skill bar, their “Elite Skill.”

These abilities are the crème de la crème, and are the most distinct abilities in the game.  Each class gets three and today we’ll be taking a quick look at the necromancer’s.

(I warn you, I may show favoritism towards one of these.)

Let us, begin!

The first is “Lich Form” and is the most distinct and obvious of the necromancer’s three elite skills.  When other players see this ability, they know immediately there is a necromancer in the area.  And that they should kill it.  This ability, in addition to giving you five, entirely new abilities, also  grants the necromancer stability for the duration of the spell while tripling his or her’s base power, and doubling their precision and vitality.  This means that at level 80, its adds a whopping 1832 power, and 916 precision and vitality.  That’s nothing to joke at.  The abilities this form gives you are:

Deathly Claws: which sends out claws in a front of you that harm foes.

Marked for Death:  Places a mark on the ground mark that makes an enemy vulnerable when they trigger it.

Chilling Wind:  Sends out a freezing wind that slows and knocks enemies back.

Mark of Horror:  Similar to the staff skill.  Places an area on the ground that fears any foes inside of it.

Grim Specter: Shoots out a claw that goes boom upon impact.

All in all, “Lich Form” is a powerhouse ability and an excellent addition to a necro using a Well build.  It’s just a pity it’s my least favorite of the necromancer elites.  Why?  Cause it turns you into ahuge, lumbering giant that is bigger than any player around.  That’s a death sentence in pvp.  It’s like sending up a flare saying “Kill Me! I’m right here!”

Another thing to be aware of about this ability, and part of why I don’t use it, is that all minions you have summoned disappear when you enter this form and cannot be summoned until you leave this state.  If you want to be a pet army, this is not the ability for you

Plus, the ability cooldowns of this form are very long and can often times leave you with nothing to do but wait.

Overall, it’s a great ability to use for fun or in dungeons and can be a blast while in pvp if the enemy has no direct access to you.  Personally, I feel that there are better skills to buy before sinking 30 points into getting this one

The second elite skill is my personal favorite for pvp and I have a blast with it.  However, that doesn’t mean it’s the most useful, just that I prefer it.  The ability is “Plague” and this little ability turns you into a swirling ball of Black Death, complete with green insects.  While in this state you gain three new abilities at the cost of your bar. They are:

Withering Plague: which bleeds enemies caught around you.

Plague of Darkness:  blinds any foe nearby.  This is an underused ability in my opinion and is an amazing option for attacking or escaping.

Plague of Pestilence:  this will cripple all enemies nearby.

“Plague” is a pretty simple ability.  Get in close to your foes, select which effect you want to bestow upon you enemies, and watch them suffer

However, this ability does cause your pets to disappear when entered and, like Lich Form, is not recommended for leveling because pets make leveling significantly faster.  However, I feel that using this ability in World vs World pvp has turned the tide of more than one large scale battle.

And finally, the third necromancer elite.  “Flesh Golem” may not be fancy, or pretty, or complicated, but it is reliable, dependable, and will often surprise you with how much it can do.

The summoned Flesh Golem has a charge ability that can knock down AI and players alike and leave them at your mercy.  It has a large amount of health and a relatively short cooldown time.

For new necromancers eager to reach 80, I encourage you to grab this elite skill first and use it all the way to 80.  It can tank enemy hits and it’s charge can save you if you need to run away.

So, there you have it, a quick look at the necromancer elites, and a personal disclosure about which I like the most.

If you have any thoughts of your own, post them in the comments below.

And, until we meet again, may the wind be ever at your face and blow the stench of your minions away from you.