Balance Patch Feedback

Hello guys, I want to share my toughts about the recent patch changes. Note: This is not one of those QQs topics, even if some of my complainings are the same of them.

1st: Condition changes:

• I think this was the most waited notice for all the PvP community. They reduced the damage and application of the conditions and increased their duration, removing their non-intended and non-sense spike, making it looks like a condition. Damage over time. In my opinion, this was a good step and I'm really satisfied with the changes, you don't get exploded for a source of damage that was suppose to kill you if you let them hurting you for so long. I really liked it, good move ANet.

2nd: Barrier changes:

• I liked because the old barriers were... strange? Now they last longer but instat disappear, and 5 seconds is a good timing.

3rd: Profession Changes: (Note: I know that core professions and some HoT specializations need improvements too but I'm not talking about them in this top, I will focus the "meta")

• Mesmer: I really don't understand much about the profession but it looked like buff for the class... This isn't what I was expecting. Mirage already was in a good spot before the patch, it was a little stronger than it should be in my opinion, but looking the fact of being more harder to master maybe it was something understandable. But that confusion spam was TOTALLY unnecessary and they didn't get rid of it...

• Firebrand: They buffed the specialization that is the most dangerous for PvP, after necromancer, to the game. It already was way too strong as a support and now it has even more domination. Trying to be positive, the "Chapter 4: Shining River" changes could be interesting. Changing the heal of instant to overtime was a good move to prevent health spikes and I agree that buffs for the healing, since is overtime now, are welcome, but, really? 50% base + 65% scaling? I think this is too much... The other changes are to follow the condition update and animations review, what isn't a real buff.

• Ranger: I was going to say that i liked the changes, specially the damage increases, but I never played ranger so I don't know what they could done better but, even not being a main ranger, I can say that druid have way too much survability and it should be tooned down.

• Revenant: I was expecting buffs for the class since it REALLY isn't in a good spot at the moment, specially renegade...

• Thief: Same as ranger for thief, I don't play the class so I really don't know what they could do better but looking the changes, it was a buff for PvE and a smaller one for PvP. Ok.

• Warrior: They increased the source of might, gave a buff of damage depending on the stacks of might that the player got and nerfed the endurance generation per might stacked. I think they tried to increase the damage while not nerfing survability, just controling it to not be the PoF release SB.

• Elementalist: I was expecting buffs and, as far as i readed in the forum, this patch was a nerf. I can't talk much about it but elementalists need some atention in the PvP scenario.

• Engineer: People said was a nerf, in my opinion, it didn't look like a nerf, they just updated to the new condition system and buffed some things, not much. And Holosmiths are good at the moment, I don't think they need buffs or nerfs.

• Necromancer: I liked the changes in the profession, but I was expecting some tooning down on Scourge. They adapted the condition application to the new system, fixed "Dhuumfire" bug and buffed axe. Buffing axe was smart because almost any scourge use it, what helps power reaper to get back into the game and axe was needing some attention. I, particularly, don't like trait's like Dread that increases damage while enemies are under an effect but I will give it a try. As a main Necromancer(and is not needed to be one to say) even after the changes, Scourges are really strong and they will still strong until ANet do something about the boon corruption. The condition application of the profession is fine. We do damage but isn't that spike that was before. The problem is, every single class has boons and punishment skills brings a lot of boon corrupt. Scourge gets unbalanced when they remove the strength of an enemy and turn it into a weakness. To be honest, I really don't think they can change the utility skills, since "Trail of Anguish" and "Sand Swell" are easy to evade, no one takes "Serpent Siphon" and "Gastly Breach" ask you to leave the area, and that's it. ("Dessicate" isn't "evadable" but isn't a danger factor).

Analyzing that they don’t want drastic changes, what they could do is:

• "Nerfarious Favor": Cooldown increased from 8 to 12 seconds (PvP Only) > This is what necro needs right now, in my opinion. They are too strong because of their boon corrupt, what decreases the enemies resistance or damage and increases our source of conditions. Increasing the "F2" cooldown increases the cooldown on the trait "Path of Corruption" and don't affect reaper or core necromancers. If needed, they can change the skill to convert 3 conditions into boons instead of just 2 to don't affect the specialization survability but I think scourge do fair enough with just 2, and that FB on his side won't let him die anyway.
• Dhuumfire has now a 1 second cooldown beetwen scourge profession skills. (Yes, make this not a bug, what prevents players that just press everything at the same time of stacking too much burning).

I would be happy to see what you guys think about my opinion. Thanks for reading, sorry for any english issue.

The patch did nothing, condi bombing is still the way to go.

Conditions need to be NORMALIZED.

Each condition from a single player needs to stack by DURATION, not intensity, intensity being stacked by multiple players applying the same condition. Then they need to balance the expected condition damage, duration an application rate and rework from there.

Pve wise, this patch literally did NOTHING, viper is still the way to go.

@"Apolo.5942" said:Each condition from a single player needs to stack by DURATION, not intensity, intensity being stacked by multiple players applying the same condition. Then they need to balance the expected condition damage, duration an application rate and rework from there.

This is going to kill conditions. When you are looking to nerf something, you don't nerf it into the ground, you do it in smaller steps. It happened, for example, with ventari revenant, they give a massive nerf and the build got "deleted". You are really wrong when you say the patch did nothing, it's a lot easier to deal with condis now, you have almost the double of the time. The problem of condi bomb is the boon corruption and the mesmer thing that remains untouched.

ANET is consistently quite heavy handed. I'm pleasantly surprised that the nerf to conditions generally and Memsmer was only this hard.

Why open a new thread? We have like 50 here already, disregarding that you have the official feedback thread which is actually read by the balance team here:https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/20457/wintersday-balance-update-feedback-thread#latest

@"rank eleven monk.9502" said:Why open a new thread? We have like 50 here already, disregarding that you have the official feedback thread which is actually read by the balance team here:https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/20457/wintersday-balance-update-feedback-thread#latest

I'll move there then, thanks for the info

Just make sure you specify that you are talking about pvp from the beginning as the one I have linked is for general feedback (honestly I did not find the thread first either, someone linked me :D )

Ok at first it seemed that you had more chance to resist, but after being downed by a scourge in 5 sec i have to reconsider my idea of "conditions need more time in order to deal damage" ( with a -33% + -20% dmg from condi ).

It's senseless.Still a condifeast and the modify really did nothing.

@"Shirlias.8104" said:Ok at first it seemed that you had more chance to resist, but after being downed by a scourge in 5 sec i have to reconsider my idea of "conditions need more time in order to deal damage" ( with a -33% + -20% dmg from condi ).

It's senseless.Still a condifeast and the modify really did nothing.

As I said, he probably corrupted all your boons and it became the condifest.

@Xuazinegueri.3592 said:

@"Shirlias.8104" said:Ok at first it seemed that you had more chance to resist, but after being downed by a scourge in 5 sec i have to reconsider my idea of "conditions need more time in order to deal damage" ( with a -33% + -20% dmg from condi ).

It's senseless.Still a condifeast and the modify really did nothing.

I don't have boons as a renegade ( i was vengeful hammer which give -20% and it's not a boon, Kalla's Fervor which gives -33% and it's not a boon, and paladin amulet, so i was near 2800 armor ). Didn't use any boons because i have few and they can corrupt.It's simply ridiculous.The braindead escalation From Gw > Gw2 core > Hot > PoF.Can't wait to see the next expansion.

Mirage needed to be buffed for PVE.

@Shiyo.3578 said:Mirage needed to be buffed for PVE.

Soooo, does Scrooge, as Joko needs stronger minions!

Interesting...> @Apolo.5942 said:

The patch did nothing, condi bombing is still the way to go.

Conditions need to be NORMALIZED.

Each condition from a single player needs to stack by DURATION, not intensity, intensity being stacked by multiple players applying the same condition. Then they need to balance the expected condition damage, duration an application rate and rework from there.

Pve wise, this patch literally did NOTHING, viper is still the way to go.

@Burnfall.9573 said:Interesting...> @"Apolo.5942" said:

The patch did nothing, condi bombing is still the way to go.

Conditions need to be NORMALIZED.

Each condition from a single player needs to stack by DURATION, not intensity, intensity being stacked by multiple players applying the same condition. Then they need to balance the expected condition damage, duration an application rate and rework from there.

Pve wise, this patch literally did NOTHING, viper is still the way to go.

Isn't mirage the best DPS atm? At least on QTfy benchmarks. https://qtfy.eu/guildwars/benchmarks-11-07-17/

@Xuazinegueri.3592 said:

@Burnfall.9573 said:Interesting...> @"Apolo.5942" said:

The patch did nothing, condi bombing is still the way to go.

Conditions need to be NORMALIZED.

Each condition from a single player needs to stack by DURATION, not intensity, intensity being stacked by multiple players applying the same condition. Then they need to balance the expected condition damage, duration an application rate and rework from there.

Pve wise, this patch literally did NOTHING, viper is still the way to go.

good find. Atm -yes

@Burnfall.9573 said:Interesting...> @Apolo.5942 said:

The patch did nothing, condi bombing is still the way to go.

Conditions need to be NORMALIZED.

Each condition from a single player needs to stack by DURATION, not intensity, intensity being stacked by multiple players applying the same condition. Then they need to balance the expected condition damage, duration an application rate and rework from there.

Pve wise, this patch literally did NOTHING, viper is still the way to go.

Yes, consistency in the age of attention deficit disorder, i know, you are blinded by my intellect....

It's because their thinking about conditions is all wrong. My instinct is always to blame Karl, but who knows.

Conditions should not do as much base damage as power, because conditions have the benefit of ignoring armor. The simple, obvious truth is that condi duration was fine before the patch, and that the problem was (and remains) that condition damage is massively overtuned because of the silly notion that they are supposed to be like EQ DoTs.

Let me repeat for emphasis - CONDITIONS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE FOR BACK-LOADING DAMAGE, THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FOR IGNORING ARMOR.

Until they get their heads straight and restore the short timers while reducing damage significantly and removing most access to cleanse and immunity, we won't have resolution.