A suggestion for Aquatic Stance

Obviously Aquatic Stance as implemented is one of the most useless skills in the game. I hit an enemy with it once, just to see what the animation looks like. I've never looked at it again.

Also, at the same time, weaver struggles in PvP in anything but a weak bunker role. In particular, repeated nerfs to our healing power over time have ironically forced us more into taking healing power, and tightened our dependency on water. I'd love it if Aquatic Stance were changed to be something like the following:

Aquatic Stance 5 sec, 15 sec cd

For the next 5 seconds, a percentage of all outgoing damage is converted into barrier. (Percentage would obviously be based on what seemed reasonably balanced).No charges.

Why would something like this be an improvement?

1. It's a lot less boring than signet of restoration which everyone currently runs. You have to remember to activate it, and pick the best time to do so.
2. It's a heal that allows elementalist to run a much lower healing build. In fact, because the barrier you gain is based on the damage you deal, it actively encourages the elementalist out of the healing stats and into the damage ones, without leaving them so weak they immediately crumble.
3. It also doesn't actually heal, meaning the ele can still evade for a while, and pop up a little health from blasting water fields, but fights will have a definite end time to them based on attrition -- ideally, I think no PvP fight between any two players could ever go on forever -- attrition should always mean the fight will end at some point. As it is, if I'm fighting a weaver on a point we may as well both AFK until someone comes and +1s. If two weavers with this stance fought, the fight would be over soon, and your actions within it would be much more meaningful.
4. It offers significant opportunity for counterplay, where signet offers none. See ele has stance up? Switch to ranged and kite, pop invuln, evade, block, etc, etc. This also means the ele in turn needs more skill to choose the right time to engage the ability.
5. Better survival in group skirmishes, which, while not terrible, is not great especially if running damage stats.

Thoughts?

(And yes, weaver should have cleanse on swiftness not regen and probably needs superspeed on polarity leap regardless of interrupt to really make water an option we can go without, but I think this change alone would make a big difference.)

This change would work well with...

I have been trying out the Fire-Arcane build quite lately as Sw/F and it would synergize really well as Fire line would provide more damage which means more barrier. The problem though is the condi-cleanse potential vs the Water variant. If ANet could add an Aura for each attunement on every weapon (might as well heal for 200 HP when acquiring an aura), and leave transmutation as is, we will be able to cleanse/have 25 might stacks, and still fine sustain from Arcane when attuning to Water/Earth which makes sense as you get into defensive form. This will make you have good barrier and damage when in Fire/Air and lose all that to get into defense aka Water/Earth. However, there will surely be complains about Shocking/Magnetic Aura because the class that can barely CC can now CC (when hit) PogU

Overall, I am fine with any change that will make this game changing skill better, I don't know how this skill is still left till now unchanged.

@illuminosity.8537 said:(...)Aquatic Stance 5 sec, 15 sec cd

For the next 5 seconds, a percentage of all outgoing damage is converted into barrier. (Percentage would obviously be based on what seemed reasonably balanced).No charges.(...)

It definitely should have a smallish heal on its own or 50% goes into healing, 50% into barrier. Something like this.

The problems are:

1. Builds not having water fiels - or, well, any other means to regain health kind of quickly - would not ever be able to use it.

2. You need to do damage to get any benefits. So even with sword, you should definitely not use the healing combo to heal up - you should deal damage to gain barrier.That makes it partly blanced as things should be, but also hard to use in PVP. Stuns, immobilizes, stab corrupts and these things could render it completely useless. If anyone burst through the initial barrier and the ele has to use a defensive combo, he is punished twice - no barrier anymore and no counter pressure.

But it's a nice idea! Just some tweaks and it would be nice, I guess. :smile:

its a cool idea but it definitely needs a small heal like mega said.

It doesnt need to benefit bruiser builds. It's a perfect change for staff/scepter, especially staff in wvw because of constant retal.

A small heal would be fine, too. Just want the bulk of its contribution to be from damage stats, not healing ones.

It could work like that guard heal meditation skill. 25% (?) damage turned into health with a little initial heal. Yepp, I'd like that.