Believe 56 monk pet is the only one that doesn't need two weaps.

Correcto

it's how you kill 4 seafuries at once, while you are root / rotting the other 3. If you are aggro kiting you're running more than you are sitting. If you are fear kiting you lose the 1 key aspect of necro : control over mob. Obviously some places are more conducive to fear kiting than others (factoring in pathing, roamers, etc) but especially at lower levels unless the target is undead you'll drain more mana casting fear than you'd lose tossing an extra dot while aggro kiting to make up for the dps loss of a moved/nonfeared mob.

Probably the main reason pet tanking + tap tanking is being advocated a bit here is the level range of the island we're discussing.. at 44 necros get DMF, pact of shadow, and a pet who can finally take some hits. Pet dmg, heals, , along with taps are unresistable damage/survivability. When your other option is Venom of the Snake and Assy Toes and getting dooming darkness to stick while spamming fear... well.. lets just say we'll have differing opinions on whats 'efficient' for both the seasoned and up'n'coming necro.

You shouldn't be casting anything but the appropriate level boil blood/life drain dots at lvl 44 on seafuries due to the negative resist check, venom of the snake will be resisted about 2/3 times at that level on the mid to higher level cyclopses and asystole is worthless to begin with. The #1 key aspect of a necro is not control over the mob its efficiency and mana regen. Why would you even need "control over the mob" like fearing is some kind of death trap in an outdoor area like that.

Also, that section on "throwing an extra dot" while aggro kiting is retarded, you waste way more mana aggro kiting and casting an extra dot than you do sitting for the duration of a 100 mana fear, or a 60 mana FD to let your pet finish the mob off. The goal of a successful kill for a necro is to remain sitting for the largest percentage of the kill as is possible.

Very good point. I feel like fear kiting is effective when you are fighting something too powerful for you, am I correct in this assumption?

So is tap tanking a viable option in say a dungeon. I have been toying with the idea of focusing my gear primarily towards AC and +HP with +mana and INT secondary. The question is would the boost in HP and AC combined with your Lifetap Over Time spells and lifetap dds be a decent way to take out a camp or exp grind on. I would imagine rooting the mob would be useful for when you need to back off and get mana/hp. I guess the idea is that your tap spells aren't 100% mana efficient if you are at full hp, and I don't know this for sure, but our pets aren't viable tanks(correct me if I'm wrong). By spreading the love between your pet and your hp and landing some taps it seems like you might be pretty efficient.

just a thought.

If you fear kite in dungeons, learn the pathing and downrank your fear. Fear or Spook the Dead give more control over how far the mob paths away from you. Once you have a suitable area cleared, fear kiting becomes a solid choice.

Shoot for undead. Spook the Dead costs like 7 mana. It's efficient. If you're nervous, keep root memmed. You can fear kite almost anywhere, if you know what you're doing.

Tap tanking is a desperation move meant for summoning mobs. Don't use it to level. If you do tap tank, be sure to move your pet behind the mob while doing it. The damage increase is noticeable, particularly with a hasted charm pet. But most importantly, use this as a last resort.

I never much liked pet pact healing. I've done it when I had to, but it loses most of its power as the spell level where you picked it up falls behind you. Some people love it, and I like the idea, but Pact of Shadow / Shadowbond soloing isn't as efficient as kiting or charm burning. Taps are expensive.

Learn when to sit. Watch when your mana % increases, and be sure to be sitting 5 seconds after that point, to catch the next tick. It adds up, and it's a good habit to get into. You only have to be sitting for the tick, and when you get better at it, sitting for that second won't waste your time. When you are good at this, aggro kiting surpasses fear kiting in efficiency (providing room to do so).

Fear Kiting:

Pros - Full dot damage, full pet damage, can med while doing this
Cons - Mob runs around

Root Rotting:

Pros - Full dot damage, Mob stationary, can med
Cons - May have to periodically back pet out if root is breaking/is getting beat on

Aggro Kiting:

Pros - Control where mob goes, full pet damage
Cons - cannot med, reduced dps (both of these together are entirely unacceptable imo)

Drain Tanking:

Pros - Full dot damage, full pet damage, mob stationary
Cons - Full YOU damage, interrupts (reduced dps/efficiency), cannot med, have to focus on inefficient drain spells, "if you can tank it your pet can tank it"

Fear > Root > Aggro > Drain Tank

Basically, if you can control the "mob runs around" part fear kiting is ALWAYS option 1

Bold portion is untrue. I did forget about the "newly added" dot damage reduction while kiting, however.

counting to 5 over and over again for a couple hours is the very definition of tedious. I do it when I have to but would probably go insane using it as my primary method of mana regen.

Efficiency is almost by definition boring. It is what it is.