Some skills that need better visual tells

[Shroud.2307]

GalePoint Blank ShotConcussion ShotOvercharged ShotSpinal ShiversGrenade Barrage

I'm not talking nerfs or saying that any of these things need to have a giant visual indicator, but I do think these are all high impact/crucial set up skills that need to be more visible in team fights. Some skills like Spinal Shivers already have a very obvious tell, but in group fights it, and most of the others I've listed, can be difficult to see with everything else going on.

There are plenty of skills that fit the criteria of being hard to see in a team fight, so I'm not suggesting these are the only offenders or that everything needs a huge visual warning. But again, because I think these are all crucial set up skills or high impact damage they should get a bit of a visual boost. Nothing huge, but something like increasing size of the little white lines around the Ranger's arms when using Point Blank Shot, or adding a frosty aura around the Necro's hand for Spinal Shivers. Just things to better indicate what's coming when there's a lot going on.

If anyone else has other skills they think should get more of a tell, go ahead and list them.Do keep in mind however that I'm talking skills that may be difficult to tell apart from other skills that have high impact. Not just skills that are fast/instant.

[Dadnir.5038]

If you're stuck in a group fight, odds are that whatever amount of tell they can add won't ever be enough to react properly.

Both Gale and spinal shivers have obvious tell already, if you miss them in a group fight, you'll miss them with more effect added.

Overcharged shot have it's own drawback inbuilt in the skill and also have obvious tell, again, there is little that "more" tell can do with this skill.

Grenade barrage have tells as well, again there is very little ANet can do if these tells aren't already enough for players to react.

Concussion shot is the "best" CC in the game in term of design. Sure it could afford having it's daze and stun duration reduced to 1s or less but I certainly hope that the only true interupt skill in game won't be plagued with "more tell/longer cast time". I mean, this game's CCs are probably the worse of the industry, almost none of those CCs are proper quick interupt, they almost all favor disabling to interupting and it's a shame.

PBS is the problem child skill of the ranger since release. Despite all the complain about this skill ANet have given it more buffs than nerfs (come on it originally was a 600 range skill and the projectile didn't even have half it's current speed yet it was already an issue). At this point I doubt ANet will ever do us the favor to make this skill less toxic.

[Kuma.1503]

Replace grenade barrage with Shrapnel Grenade. It does more damage than it after the last nerf, lul.

I'd like to add a few

Magic Bullet (same hand waving motion as duelist)Reaper's MarkSpectral Grasp (projectiles are tiny and often hard to see amidst visual clutter)Crippling shot (virtually no tell at all)Chains of Light (another immobolize with a very weak tell)Desync Rush (Make it stop randomly opening worm holes in space-time)

[Shroud.2307]

@"Kuma.1503" said:Replace grenade barrage with Shrapnel Grenade. It does more damage than it after the last nerf, lul.

I'd like to add a few

Magic Bullet (same hand waving motion as duelist)Reaper's MarkSpectral Grasp (projectiles are tiny and often hard to see amidst visual clutter)Crippling shot (virtually no tell at all)Chains of Light (another immobolize with a very weak tell)Desync Rush (Make it stop randomly opening worm holes in space-time)

RIGHT, that reminds me, a unique animation should be added to Putrid Mark similar to Reaper's Mark. Putrid Mark can hurt a lot. Usually it's only about 3 - 4k tops, but it's one of those skills that has potential to really truck. I've hit people for 11k with it in WvW and 7k in PvP.Maybe give it an animation where the Necro slams their staff in to the ground or something, but something different from the others.

You get my point with your suggestions though. Magic Bullet is a good example.I don't know about Rush though, they've "fixed" it like three times. I feel like it's one of those skills that's always going to be buggy, but at least it's easy to see. Just sucks when the hitbox is randomly 10x bigger than it should be.

[Kodama.6453]

Overcharged shot is a meme right now. All the skill does is launching a single enemy since they removed all damage from the skill and then it even has the drawback of knocking the user back as well.

Let's first get the buff through which was hinted by Anet ages ago to remove the self knockback, then you can try again.

[Za Shaloc.3908]

Generally Rev has pretty clear animations, but True Nature really stands out for me as needing a clearer tell considering its potential impact.

[Shroud.2307]

@Za Shaloc.3908 said:Generally Rev has pretty clear animations, but True Nature really stands out for me as needing a clearer tell considering its potential impact.

Another good one to add. Again, just something simple like giving it an outward rolling black cloud or something.

@Kodama.6453 said:Overcharged shot is a meme right now. All the skill does is launching a single enemy since they removed all damage from the skill and then it even has the drawback of knocking the user back as well.

Let's first get the buff through which was hinted by Anet ages ago to remove the self knockback, then you can try again.

Very true, but I tried to be as clear as possible in the OP that I'm not asking for any of these things to be nerfed. This is just one of those skills that has such a low wind up with so much combo potential that it is often a fight deciding skill.

I'm a long time Engi player myself so I know the drawbacks of it and that it's in a pretty crappy spot right now. Still, I think a better tell would be good- just like a little explosive aura or something to better indicate what's coming in the chaos of a small fight.On the subject of Overcharged Shot though, I made a thread a while back suggesting the effects of Jump Shot and Overcharged Shot should be swapped. Overcharged Shot should apply Vuln and Jump Shot should clear soft CC.