Modernizing the Engineer - Turret Rework

Engineer is undergoing an identity crisis. They're known as a versatile "jack of all trades" class. An ingenious inventor who always has the right gadget to suit the situation at hand. The fantasy of a scrappy builder and inventor is what drew me to main this class. In practice, Engineer is more of a one trick pony, and, sadly, they're not even the best at performing that one trick (damage).

Today's post will focus on turrets. Hefty nerfs have left turrets feeling out of place. They should serve as stationary minions that buff the engineer and their allies over extened fights. In practice, they act as glorified explosives with brief one-time effects attatched.

Engineer have overhauled their turrets to be more portable so that their effects can be felt all across the battlefield. Turrets are now collapsable and can be picked up and wielded as weapons, similar to banners. Collapsed turrets are called packs, they only have 3 buttons each. Skill 3 allows the engineer to place the turret back down. Additionally, Overcharges replace detonate skills. Detonate replaces toolbelt skills. Both can be used while turrets are held. Turrets no longer overcharge when placed.

[Healing Turret]- Place down a healing turret that periodically heals allies. Overcharge - No changes. 25 second cooldown.

Healing Pack Skill 1 -[Healing Mist]: Channel healing mists, healing yourself and nearby allies for a small amount.

Healing Pack Skill 2 - [Rejuvenating Burst]: Place down a water field which grants allies regen and removes a condition. 20 sec cooldown.

[Detonate]: Detonate your turret, releasing a burst of mist which heals allies for a flat amount. [Note: Since this is a utility turret there is no finisher attatched]

Net Turret replaced with Static Turret

[static turret] - Place down a turret which shoots bolts of electricity at regular intervals, Bolts bounce up to 3 times dealing small amounts of damage and inflicting vulnerabilty.

[Overcharge]: The turret unleashes all stored electricity after a brief delay, dazing all foes in a 600 radius. 25 sec cooldown.

Static Pack Skill 1 -[Electrocute] Channel a bolt of electricity into your target, dealing damage and inflicting vulnerability on each pulse.

Static Pack Skill 2 - [ionize] Zap your foe with a bolt of electricity, briefly stunning them. 20 sec cooldown.

[Detonate:] Detonate your turret, releasing an explosion of static energy which knocks all foes back. Blast Finisher.

[Flame Turret] Place down a turret with rotating flamethrowers. Inflicts mild burning damage in a small Aoe.

[Overcharge]: The flamethrowers spin faster and unleash their flames in a larger AoE, dealing flat damage and inflicting burning. 25 second cooldown.

Flame Pack Skill 1 - [Flamethrower]: Channel a flamethrower. Same as the kit skill.

Flame pack Skill 2 -[smoke burst]: Vent smoke, blinding and burning up to 5 nearby foes.

[Detonate]: You turret explodes in a fiery explosion. All enemys within 600 radius take flat damage. All enemies within a 300 radius take increased damage, are inflicted with burning, and are dazed. Blast Finisher.

Rifle Turret: Place down a turret which sprays bullets in a cone, dealing flat damage to up to 3 foes within a 450 radius.

[Overcharge]: The turret fires at a significantly faster rate for 2 seconds. 25 second cooldown.

Rifle Pack skill 1: [shoot] Shoot your foe.

Rifle pack skill 2: [Machiene Gun] Channel machiene gun fire, dealing damage over time.

[Detonate]: Your turret explodes after a brief delay, spraying bullets in all directions. Deals flat damage. Fires numerous projectile finishers.

Rocket Turret replaced with Shield Turret

[shield Turret] - Place down a turret which pulses weak barrier to up to 10 allies in a 600 radius.

[Overcharge] - The turret creates a 600 radius electromagnetic dome which grants all allies inside increased barrier and protection while blocking incoming missles.

Shield Pack Skill 1 - [ Shield module ] - Channel weak barrier onto yourself and allies within 300 radius, granting pulsing stability during the duration of the channel.

Shield pack Skill 2 - [Electro Dome] - Create a dome around yourself which blocks all incoming attacks for 3 seconds. 20 second cooldown.

[Detonate]: Your turret explodes, creating 450 radius electromagnetic field for 3 seconds. Grant alacrity to up to 5 allies on each pulse. Inflict up to 5 enemies with slow on each pulse. [Note: Since this is a utility turret there is no finisher attatched].

Thumper Turret replaced with Chemical Turret

[Chemical Turret] - Place down a turret that vents chemicals, granting pulsing might and fury to up to 10 allies in a 600 radius.

[Overcharge] - The turret unleashes a spray of chemicals for 5 seconds. Grant additional might, fury, vigor, and quickness on each pulse. 25 second cooldown.

Chemical pack Skill 1 - [Elixir spray] - Channel fumes which poison nearby foes and grant regeneration to allies.

Chemical pack skill 2 - [infuse] - Vent mists which grant allies swiftness, regeneration, and vigor. Cleanses 3 conditions. 20 second cooldown.

[Detonate] - Your turret unleashes gasses which inflict foes with burning, poison, and confusion. [Note: Since this is a utility turret there is no finisher attatched].

[supply Crate] - Still summons all turrets which immediately overcharge, however, the duration is reduced 10 seconds. Turrets automatically detonate after 10 seconds. Cooldown reduced to 120 seconds from 150.

Toolbelt - [Detonate] Detonate all turrets early.

These changes should help give each turret it's own identity while giving the enigneer additional support options. Engineers and their allies should feel empowered while standing near turrets. These changes should help deliver on that turret building fantasy.

 I like this suggestion a lot. I'm the same as you, when I first saw the GW2 trailer and saw the engineer throwing down turrets, I was instantly sold, but I just don't enjoy the engineer anymore, its so far from what I was sold on in the beginning. I loved the grease, and steel, and potion engineer, but now the engineer is all high tech, holographics, and...basically to me, Asura. At this point it should just be renamed from engineer to Asura. Arena Net please if your reading this, please just give me back my dang turrets. They don't have to, and I don't want them to, be the best, most strongest build for the engineer, but as a casual player who is very busy and doesn't get a lot of time to play, I loved the relaxed play style of turret engi. It was fun, and cool, and thematic. I'm just really sad for and miss the engineer.

Why did the last guys post look like a ransom note?

All they have to do is add 20% cool down reduction and to experimental turrets and call it a day.

Well I kinda like Rocket turret. But replace Thumper with electro-shield turret and i'm here. That was a very bad move from them to remove the overcharge option, I agree it should be readded. I can literally hear my turrets crying right now. Chemical turret can replace the flamethrower one like it's venting hot acid.

I actually talk about Engineer turrets in a recent post of mine. Personally, my solution would make them more mobile and a bit more effective offensively. Take a look if you want to see it. But I'm a big Advocate of being able to use Turrets in places like Open world, WvW and raids. Two out of 3 of these tend to be extremely mobile. https://en-forum.guildwars2.com/discussion/100887/summon-pet-builds-conflicts-and-solutions#latest

Well im not really a fan of stationary solutions as well and relying on ki targeting. I loved the day they changed scrapper gyros, to be an effect around the engineer for 5 seconds. And imo I would love to see kinda the same basic changes on turrets.

Being a single skill that execute an effect for a short duration, but while gyros are always arround the engineer, the turrets could work more like a symbols or spirit weapons. So nore more detonations, no more picking ups. They will selfdonate automatically with an blast finisher when their job is done. While i like your idea of having more skills, i think it will generate also more pain in the fingers for some rotations :scream: They should give that love on reworking kits and some toolbelt skills.

Some examples:

Machine Gun Turret (Formaly known as Rifle Turret) - Ground Targeting - Spawns a GunTurret at your current position that releases a salvage of shots to the targeted area for 5seconds (Similar to rangers longbow skill 5) those shots will also apply vulnerability and criple

Electric Net Turret - Ground Targeting - Well actually you deploy 2 Turrets on 900 range that create a net between each other - Would work more like guardians line of warding in that case - The line will last for 5 seconds, dealing damage each second to all enemies that are near it. When touching it, it will stun them for 1second and apply 2 seconds of immoblize. The Line is also a lightning field

Shield Turret - AoE Stunbreaks and deploys a shield turret at your current location it will provide a 5 Seconds Projectile Block and a 2k Barrier on all allies on its first pulse.

Healing Turret - Kinda like it is now - Spawns a Healing Turret at your current position, that immediately heals you for 2,5k and creates a water field. On its first pulse it will heal allies around it for 2,5k and removes 2 conditions, on the second pulse it applies regeneration, the water field will remain for 2 more pulses without any other effect before self donating in the waterfield.

Of course with this there should be a new unique elite turret ;P

@NeroBoron.7285 said:Well im not really a fan of stationary solutions as well and relying on ki targeting. I loved the day they changed scrapper gyros, to be an effect around the engineer for 5 seconds. And imo I would love to see kinda the same basic changes on turrets.

Being a single skill that execute an effect for a short duration, but while gyros are always arround the engineer, the turrets could work more like a symbols or spirit weapons. So nore more detonations, no more picking ups. They will selfdonate automatically with an blast finisher when their job is done. While i like your idea of having more skills, i think it will generate also more pain in the fingers for some rotations :scream: They should give that love on reworking kits and some toolbelt skills.

Some examples:

Machine Gun Turret (Formaly known as Rifle Turret) - Ground Targeting - Spawns a GunTurret at your current position that releases a salvage of shots to the targeted area for 5seconds (Similar to rangers longbow skill 5) those shots will also apply vulnerability and criple

Electric Net Turret - Ground Targeting - Well actually you deploy 2 Turrets on 900 range that create a net between each other - Would work more like guardians line of warding in that case - The line will last for 5 seconds, dealing damage each second to all enemies that are near it. When touching it, it will stun them for 1second and apply 2 seconds of immoblize. The Line is also a lightning field

Shield Turret - AoE Stunbreaks and deploys a shield turret at your current location it will provide a 5 Seconds Projectile Block and a 2k Barrier on all allies on its first pulse.

Healing Turret - Kinda like it is now - Spawns a Healing Turret at your current position, that immediately heals you for 2,5k and creates a water field. On its first pulse it will heal allies around it for 2,5k and removes 2 conditions, on the second pulse it applies regeneration, the water field will remain for 2 more pulses without any other effect before self donating in the waterfield.

Of course with this there should be a new unique elite turret ;P

The Turret playstyle is actually mostly covered by the Scourge. And I think the Scourge's Use of their Sand Shades could teach us on how the turrets should be balanced. Its why I'm in favor of Charges. I don't want them to be like Spirit weapons as I dislike the design of spirit weapons as they are now. I'd prefer them to keep there Ritualist spirits influence and play more similar to the SoS/Spirit spammer Build from GW1. Now, not exactly as SoS in GW1 was a rather slow build and even with its mobility with Summon Spirits it was still rather slow. But we can learn from its design.

I do think that Having the Turret's Actions influenced by your toolbelt skill which could transform when you summon a turret giving your turret a unique activation while the utility, heal and elite slots don't have the self destruct anymore but rather just show the charges on their summoning could offer quite an engaging way to play the engineer.

I've used the example of ARPGs in the past to show how a totem/turrets build could work, and I do understand the differences between GW2 and ARPGs. Where it matters is that GW2 is a slower game than what ARPGs typically are. Which means that the shorter duration that turrets tend to have in ARPGs wouldn't be as effective in GW2. Sure you could pump them up to be a decent damage boost and last only 5 seconds, but this detracts from their design as well as defeats the purpose of using them if you can get a similar experience elsewhere without having to using an AI.