How would you redesign the engineer?

[Lonami.2987]

@Icefyer.9208 said:Seems odd that a lot of people chiming in forget medkit and engineers that like to heal and support others exist rather than being nothing but damage and want to be able to compete with healers like firebrand or druid.

I don't think engineer healing can be made viable until we get an elite specialization designed specifically for that.

You could always try to redesign the core profession in some way too. If you stick to a turret mechanic for the core, maybe spamming healing turrets could work. Or update the elixir gun and make it be more about support.

@"phs.6089" said:

this engie kits look better tho it was made way before gw2 :)

That's exactly what I envision when thinking about an engineer using turrets as the core mechanic.

[Lonami.2987]

They say you gotta return to your origins now and then, so let's give this another try.

I'm ditching turrets as the core mechanic, and going back to kits. They never convinced me enough anyway, and they'll probably feel better if they just stay as slot skills. Don't have too much to say, so let's just go straight to the point.

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Engineer

• The tool belt has been completely removed. Some of the tool belt skills have been salvaged into sequence skills for their parent slot skills.
• The new mechanic is the Weapon Kit. Classic kits have been repurposed as mechanic skills, and are no longer available as slot skills. There's four weapon kits to choose from, and you can equip two at mechanic slots F1 and F2:
• Elixir Gun: Similar to the original, with a bigger emphasis on healing and support.
• Energy Cannon: Replaces the Mortar Kit, inspired by Horrik and the Aetherblades. Crowd control and area of effect damage.
• Flamethrower: Similar to the original, with a bigger emphasis on condition damage.
• Machine Gun: New kit, inspired by barrel machine guns. Single-target direct damage.
• Kits can now be customized with different aesthetics, using a new panel similar to the one used by ranger pets.
• Grenade Kit has been replaced by a new one-handed weapon type, called satchel.
• Bomb Kit, Med Kit, and Tool Kit have been completely removed. Some of their skills have been salvaged into new weapon or slot skills.
• Weapon swap has been enabled. Mace, satchel, scepter, and torch have been unlocked for the core profession.
• Dual wielding two pistols at once unlocks five new alternate weapon skills.
• Classic device kits slot has been replaced by wells.
• Classic weapon kits slot has been replaced by mines, with a functionality similar to traps and preparations.
• Gadget skills have been repurposed into signets, with different effects on passive and active.
• Elixirs and turrets keep most of their functions intact.
• Base health gained per level has been increased, from a total of 5,922 to 9,212, leaving engineer in the heavy health tier.

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Scrapper

• The new mechanic is the Gyro Aura, inspired by herald facets. New mechanic slots F3, F4, and F5 contain auras now. Use once to activate the passive effect (Aura), and again to consume it and trigger an active skill (Overload). Original aura effects have been renamed as wards.
• Overload attacks are performed through gyros, summoned automatically by the overload skill. Gyros are immune to damage, but can be destroyed through crowd control attacks. Auras gain alternate overload skills while you're wielding a kit.
• F3 applies an offensive boon on passive, and triggers a combo finisher gyro on active.
• F4 applies a defensive boon on passive, and triggers a combo field gyro on active.
• F5 applies a ward on passive, and triggers a pulsating area of effect gyro on active.
• Triggering the active skill of the three auras at once combines and boosts their effects.
• Wells have been replaced by tricks.
• Hammer keeps most of its functions intact.

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Holosmith

• The new mechanic is the Photon Forge Transformation. Kit skills F1 and F2 have been disabled, and mechanic slot F1 contains the Photon Forge transformation now, restricted by the heat resource. Mechanic slots F2, F3, and F4 contain various heat management skills.
• Activating the forge boosts your current weapons, giving them a new holographic appearance, besides alternate skills with new functionalities, similar to the elementalist's classic attunements. All forge weapon skills are affected by the heat mechanic.
• Exceeds have been reclassified as consecrations.
• Sword keeps most of its functions intact, but no longer uses heat outside the transformation.

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If you've checked the other profession redesign threads, you'll know my primary goal is to normalize core mechanics, and build elite specializations from a dual profession viewpoint, mechanic-wise. Scrapper uses auras, the new guardian core mechanic inspired by herald facets, and holosmith uses a transformation, the new warrior core mechanic inspired by necromancer shroud.

Some new elite specialization ideas to see how the changes could affect them, based on the new core mechanics of the engineer itself, the revenant, and the ranger:

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Golemancer

• The new mechanic is the Golem Suit Kit. Kit skills F1 and F2 have been disabled, and mechanic slot F1 contains the Golem Suit kit now, restricted by the energy resource.
• Activating the golem suit replaces your weapon skills, and enables mechanic skills F2, F3, F4, and F5, each containing the golem versions of the four original weapon kits. You can equip these kits while in golem form, gaining new weapon skills.
• The golem suit has a secondary health bar, determined by the energy resource, similarly to the necromancer's shroud. If the bar is depleted, the engineer will be forced out of the golem form.
• Minions are the new slot skills, letting you summon automated golem allies. Minion skills consume energy.
• Focus is the new weapon, used for minion support.

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Occultist

• The new mechanic is the Techno-Artifact, ancient demonic techno-relics inspired by revenant's Ventari's Tablet. Kit skills F1 and F2 have been disabled. Mechanic skill F1 summons the artifact, mechanic skills F2, F3, and F4 let you manipulate it, and mechanic skill F5 lets you swap to a second artifact.
• There's four artifacts to choose from, and you can equip two of them at once:
• Forgotten Gatekeeper: Area of effect damage.
• Infinity Hypercube: Single-target damage.
• Jotun Astrolabe: Healing and support.
• Mursaat Nexus: Crowd control.
• Shouts are the new slot skills, which are replicated by the active demonic artifact.
• Staff is the new weapon, used in synergy with the artifacts.

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Technopriest

• The new mechanic is the Servitor Beast, a mechanical charr companion inspired by mechanical devourers and ranger pets. Kit skills F1 and F2 have been disabled. Mechanic skill F1 summons the beast, mechanic skills F1, F2, and F3 let you command it, and mechanic skill F4 lets you swap to a second beast.
• There's four beasts to choose from, derived from the four core kits, and you can equip two of them at once:
• Alchemic Servitor: Beast with elixir dispensers.
• Artillery Servitor: Beast with missile launchers.
• Ignitor Servitor: Beast with a flamethrower.
• Strafing Servitor: Beast with machine guns.
• Mantras are the new slot skills, boosting both the engineer and his servitor beast.
• Polearm is the new weapon, using a cog-bladed greataxe skin that lets you channel energy into your beast.

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Pretty happy with how this one turned out.

And remember, this thread is just for fun, so feel free to post any ideas you have, even if you believe there's no way they could be happening.