Depending on what I am doing. For root rotting/kitting mobs my line up is the same. 11 of our best non swift dots and root(have had to many times having someone who hates necros coming by and nuking a mob to break root on me and if our push root is down I like having a back up). I don't use all 11 dots when rooting/kiting just keep them all up so I don't got to change out for different type of mobs. Group/pet tanking I have our 3 swift dots/2 high swarm pets/our level 100 fire dd for slowing mobs/pet rune/5 highest regular dots. Only reason I keep 2 swarm pets up is I find it handy if any add comes by that can't be rooted/snared or such and I will use the swarm pets to off tank it while rest of group takes out the main mob.(The group I group with most of time is me(necro)/wife(zerker)/3 friends(necro/wizy/zerker)/mercs) and most of the time we using a tank merc or are using my pet as tank.(some reason the healer merc has an easier time keeping my pet up then the merc tank and they both t5 level 100 mercs)_
I'm finding more and more often in the group setting I don't need to recast anything even with just running a few. The skelly swarm pets seem to be well worth a cast, and last long enough that I prefer to cast them before swifts. The group really will make you adjust like most people said, so these are generally shorter kills, but I run Pyre of Marnek, then swarm, then 3 swifts, the idea being the spike won't matter as much, so long as they get all their damage off. You really don't need Impel much, it won't work on swifts anyway. you can use the fire nuke for bigger hits or Venin if you want a (very) small chance to make a free essence emerald. The proc rate on that doesn't actually seem that bad given the reward, its just, you have many classes who gain benefits from a kill shot that may be competing against you, like rangers and SK for example. Soloing though, as another note, has always been more xp gain for me than grouping, aside from finishing entire lines of partisans in RoF, although I do prefer grouping if I have the option. I like that in many groups, you canfind a way to play a little different than you normally do, so you explore your versatility more. The other day I was in a group and pretty much combined both methods, pulling a couple at a time and kiting them around near the group while they pick one off, pull it to the tank, kill, repeat so you have very little down time. Pretty much a modified chain pulling, but you can dot them up while they are in the waiting list for their death. Maybe it wouldn't work in every situation, but it is was fun because it breaks up the routine.
Well said 7th. One thing about a Necromancer is it's versatility. What you explained with kiting while the group kills I find myself doing on a routine basis to keep the XP flowing in. Also the variance of spell line up's between situations and Necromacers and still achieving solid DPS speaks to how well rounded we are for many situations and not pinholed into just one specific thing. It is the one thing why I love my class and will continue to play it until they unplug the servers.
I think maybe " fast pulling groups" requires a bit more clarification. If fast means mobs are dying in 30 seconds, then long duration dots are probably not on the menu.
Generally, depending upon group make up and quickness of kills, I will stack 3 swift dots if we are killing fast, if it's not so fast I generally stack normal dots , I mostly steer away from the swift dots as I feel they require way to much babysitting, they're on then they fade and you're stuck waiting on recast timers, meanwhile you could have all your normal dots going, and apply the same amount of normal dots to a second or 3rd mob. The swift dots IMO are very situational.
