Flashbang - A Top Tier Mistake

Flashbang is a top tier design error, right alongside of things like Chrono Bunkers having no cool-down with mantras in S1 and Chaotic Interruption Immobilization. And it is currently ruining both conquest and 2v2s. It's brought an absolutely unprecedented level of goony training-wheel overdefensive diaper play into the game. This is no normal seasonal complaint about the current flavor of the month. No, Flashbang is a good example of some bull@#$% that went four steps too far over the line of "things that shouldn't ever be added to the game."

I don't understand what Arenanet's perceptional problem is with Holosmith. This class always has:

1. S tier damage output
2. A tier mobility
3. S tier sustain "while wearing full front loaded power damage stats mind you, it sustains like a mender bunker druid"
4. A tier team utility

If the devs play this game, they should be able to acknowledge that the above is true. So who's idea was it to add Flashbang? Just.... why? How can you play this game and fully acknowledge how strong Holosmith already is, with its ability to have Mender Bunker Druid like sustain while wearing Demolisher while pumping out S+ tier damage, and then seriously decided to add Flashbang? https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Flashbang

It's way too much overdefensive spam for something that already sustains like a Bunker/Support class without needing heal stats to do it. If the devs would have given that to a Fresh Air Ele, it would have made sense. But a Holosmith? This is clearly way too much extra defensive play to add to something that already had way too much defensive play. If Arenanet had asked literally anyone from the top 100 or top 250 "Is Flashbang going to be too much?" The player would have undoubtfully responded with: "Clearly this will be too much to give Holosmith."

I don't feel like I should have to explain to game devs why this trait is so ultra top tier broken. If the gave devs are confused, I suggest they take some time to play their own game. They should go in-game as something that is not a Core Guardian that lays 10x strike symbols all over the place, and try to duel a Flashbang Grenade Holosmith with something like a Spellbreaker, that relies on single strike attacks to deal its damage. ~ Enjoy

So right now in the 2v2s, all we're seeing are Holos & Tempests, and this will soon move to 5v5 play. They're doing this to stack an inordinate amount of CC both active and passive. Arenanet, you absolutely must stop adding sources of passive hard CCs. Stop doing it. There is way too much of it going on at this point. It started with Aura Share Shocking Aura, and then Renegades closed in with the CC pits, and now we have Flashbang, which is the worst offender of them all because there was no reason to warrant such a powerful supplement to Holosmith. Stop adding passive hard CCs. No one likes it. It's too much. It's ruining the game.

Flashbang needs to be straight hot-fixed.

But the blind was nerfed from 3s to 2s. Its perfectly balanced and working as intented. /s

@Trevor Boyer.6524 said:Flashbang is a top tier design error, right alongside of things like Chrono Bunkers having no cool-down with mantras in S1 and Chaotic Interruption Immobilization. And it is currently ruining both conquest and 2v2s. It's brought an absolutely unprecedented level of goony training-wheel overdefensive diaper play into the game. This is no normal seasonal complaint about the current flavor of the month. No, Flashbang is a good example of some bull@#$% that went four steps too far over the line of "things that shouldn't ever be added to the game."

I don't understand what Arenanet's perceptional problem is with Holosmith. This class always has:

1. S tier damage output
2. A tier mobility
3. S tier sustain "while wearing full front loaded power damage stats mind you, it sustains like a mender bunker druid"
4. A tier team utility

You mean, except for all the times where it doesnt? I mean hell, Holo right now doesnt have "S-tier sustain" nor does it "sustain like a mender bunker druid" (or even anywhere remotely close). Holos sustain is pretty average. Its just, average right now means unkillable. Also A-tier mobility? By that logic just about every melee class has A-tier mobility, Holo, while good, is still outpaced by Warrior, Ranger and obviously thief. And do remind me what their team utility is?

If the devs play this game, they should be able to acknowledge that the above is true. So who's idea was it to add Flashbang? Just.... why? How can you play this game and fully acknowledge how strong Holosmith already is, with its ability to have Mender Bunker Druid like sustain while wearing Demolisher while pumping out S+ tier damage, and then seriously decided to add Flashbang? https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Flashbang

Before the february patch (Which was a mistake mind you, but thats beside the point), Holo was not strong. It became strong because everyones elses damage was hurt harder, so now its the only class doing half-decent damage, while damage overall is so low even an average sustain class is unkillable in a 1v1. So its not exactly surprising they wanted to give Engineer a bit of a beef up, and lets be real here, if damage got buffed by 20-30% across the board like it should be, Holo would suddenly stop being an issue.

It's way too much overdefensive spam for something that already sustains like a Bunker/Support class without needing heal stats to do it. If the devs would have given that to a Fresh Air Ele, it would have made sense. But a Holosmith? This is clearly way too much extra defensive play to add to something that already had way too much defensive play. If Arenanet had asked literally anyone from the top 100 or top 250 "Is Flashbang going to be too much?" The player would have undoubtfully responded with: "Clearly this will be too much to give Holosmith."

As stated above, it doesnt. Its also funny that you bring up Fresh Air Ele, because it has better sustain. Better healing skill, more healing/barrier outside of the healing skill, outright invulnerability, and more evades. Thats not why Holo performs better.

I don't feel like I should have to explain to game devs why this trait is so ultra top tier broken. If the gave devs are confused, I suggest they take some time to play their own game. They should go in-game as something that is not a Core Guardian that lays 10x strike symbols all over the place, and try to duel a Flashbang Grenade Holosmith with something like a Spellbreaker, that relies on single strike attacks to deal its damage. ~ Enjoy

So right now in the 2v2s, all we're seeing are Holos & Tempests, and this will soon move to 5v5 play. They're doing this to stack an inordinate amount of CC both active and passive. Arenanet, you absolutely must stop adding sources of passive hard CCs. Stop doing it. There is way too much of it going on at this point. It started with Aura Share Shocking Aura, and then Renegades closed in with the CC pits, and now we have Flashbang, which is the worst offender of them all because there was no reason to warrant such a powerful supplement to Holosmith. Stop adding passive hard CCs. No one likes it. It's too much. It's ruining the game.

You see only Holos and Tempests? Man, lucky you, those are easy. Im only getting Necros, Guardians and the odd Renegade. I wish I would get Holos more often, thatd be an easy win.

flashbang gives ability to dodge 2 seperate attacks with just 1 dodge roll - way overtuned imogive it 10 sec cd itll be fair

Actually too strong classes are (my personaly meaning; no front to players that playing those classes):

Holo (only cause of blinds spam granades (not the granades itself its simply the new traitskill Flashbang)Revenant Condi and Power Version (too mutch damage for too low effort)Thief (Yes thief .... let me explain: perma stealth, Ports, unblockable Steal, 3 dodges, pretty mutch blind combs are realy too mutch defence options for a class that deal backstab damage like a warrior burst skill (while warrior have actually no real defence besides full counter and might heal traitskills)) Guardian (why? .... well cause it simply random get aegis back while having blocks and blinds and an infuln eliteskill (of course fb is just ways more overpeformed cause gets more aegis for free skills and blinds ( some of those blinds realy need to go))Nekro (to be fair this class is only too strong cause of 2 reasons: unblockable boon remove fears, Lich Elite)

S teir damage yeahA tier mobility actually yeah but only becuz of super speedSustain is where’s it’s tricky, actual sustain as a zerk build is B at best but it’s burst on the sustain coupled with mobility and disengage makes it’s re-sustain actually close to S, but let’s just say ATeam utility is alittle tricky and depends on the situation. I’d say more like A teir team damage which actually ranger can achieve but not on the same level becuz it’s not aoe or as ez to do

@Trevor Boyer.6524 said:Flashbang is a top tier design error, right alongside of things like Chrono Bunkers having no cool-down with mantras in S1 and Chaotic Interruption Immobilization. And it is currently ruining both conquest and 2v2s. It's brought an absolutely unprecedented level of goony training-wheel overdefensive diaper play into the game. This is no normal seasonal complaint about the current flavor of the month. No, Flashbang is a good example of some bull@#$% that went four steps too far over the line of "things that shouldn't ever be added to the game."

I don't understand what Arenanet's perceptional problem is with Holosmith. This class always has:

1. S tier damage output
2. A tier mobility
3. S tier sustain "while wearing full front loaded power damage stats mind you, it sustains like a mender bunker druid"
4. A tier team utility

Zerker amulet should give you S tier damage, yes.A tier mobility because it's a glass cannon roamer is correct. This lets it do it's role. You still cannot ever run from a reaper, thief, or rev, which all have S tier mobility(Reaper shouldn't). Seems balanced to me.S tier sustain isn't accurate, it's more like A. Engineer in general should have A tier sustain or the class doesn't fullfill it's fantasy. If an engineer doesn't have A sustain you might as well just play thief/reaper.It has some team utility, but not A, not at all. That's like saying thief has A tier team utility because it can stealth and remove condis/give endurance in AOE with signet. Engineer should have utility.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with engineer except for explosive entrance and flash bang. The amount of might you get from capacity unit is pretty overpowered, but if holosmith was not allowed to have high burst it would have no role and be free food to power revs/thieves and not enjoyable to play - it'd be ele tier.