ANET, please STOP removing our weapon!

[Kain Francois.4328]

More of a longterm concern more than anything, but I am irked that ANET continuously removes our weapon skills.

Years ago they removed our OH Sword set, people still to this day are annoyed.

Now they're changing the long-established Staff into a healing weapon, including removing our beloved Staff #2. What this means longterm is that the weapon will see its offensive capabilities heavily turned down until it is a noodle stick like Druid's staff.

What are they going to remove next?

I understand this comes off as a panicky post. But it comes with one very important suggestion: ANET should add weapons, instead of removing them. As it stands, our weapon selection is very limited. We could make good use of new weapons.

[DonArkanio.6419]

Chill, it's literally just one skill that was clunky and slow.As for OH Sword, just bring back block and that's cool.

[Safandula.8723]

only thing i will miss is stealth tracking projectiles

[LucianDK.8615]

Staff isnt meant to be a dps weapon, its support, nothing more. And they are not removing staff at all, just reaffirming its role as support.

[Skyroar.2974]

I always found Staff #2 to be a clumsy skill. The weapon has 4 interesting skills, and then it has "that one". I don't know of many people that like it.

OH Sword was also kinda poor before the rework. The new one is a lot more epic and popular, even if it kind of steals one of Axe's niches (mobility).

[Bezerker.2379]

Sword changes: New one may be more epic and popular, but it killed a play style.

Staff.... block being a projectile that tracked stealth was useful. Staff 2 was weird to use, but powerful when it did.

Changing play style for the sake of it is lame. staff and sword were the defined modes weapons for power roaming heralds, and they keep messing with them. Enough.

[Knighthonor.4061]

Staff was supposed to be a HEALING weapon, not some stupid utility weapon!

removing our beloved Staff #2.

lol what? that skill sucked. its outright counterproductive

[Yannir.4132]

So there are people that like the extreme clunkiness of Staff 2.Personally, I did a little dance of joy when they announced the change.

[Master Ketsu.4569]

Staff 2 was only a bad skill if you didn't practice timing it.

Honestly this rework feels like it's pandering to the lesser-skilled crowd.

[Clownmug.8357]

@Master Ketsu.4569 said:Staff 2 was only a bad skill if you didn't practice timing it.

Honestly this rework feels like it's pandering to the lesser-skilled crowd.

Or maybe it doesn't require practice and a few players just became accustomed to using a junk skill more than other players.

[narcx.3570]

@Master Ketsu.4569 said:Staff 2 was only a bad skill if you didn't practice timing it.

Honestly this rework feels like it's pandering to the lesser-skilled crowd.

Even if you practice it, it's nowhere near worth the 15 energy cost. I mean, interrupting a stomp/rez/key heal can be clutch, but let's be real, 15 energy is a lot, especially when it's locked behind 2 huge telegraphs--it's the most expensive weapon skill cost tier we have, and at least 90% of the time using this skill is not worth it...

[Kain Francois.4328]

@narcx.3570 said:

@Master Ketsu.4569 said:Staff 2 was only a bad skill if you didn't practice timing it.

Honestly this rework feels like it's pandering to the lesser-skilled crowd.

Even if you practice it, it's nowhere near worth the 15 energy cost. I mean, interrupting a stomp/rez/key heal can be clutch, but let's be real, 15 energy is a lot, especially when it's locked behind 2 huge telegraphs--it's the most expensive weapon skill cost tier we have, and at least 90% of the time using this skill is not worth it...

It was an extra 100+ breakbar damage in PvE. Very useful if you miss Staff #5, or if you need just a bit of extra breakbar damage.

It's one of our only skills to apply weakness, which we need for various Retribution traits.

I find the damage + interrupt appreciated in PvP.

There is also the implication that if they add too much healing to staff, then it will become too defensive and they have to nerf other skills. Such as Surge of the Mists.

[Blood Red Arachnid.2493]

I suppose it is a niche complaint, but the removal of CC on staff 2 will hurt my serpent's ire build. Staff was OP there, but because most players didn't pack CC it only counter-balanced the n00bs.

[Maddog.3716]

Why Rev players think the stupid mechanics of some skills weapons this is top skill. Have us normall synergy between skills sw/sw or hammer(range, effect, efficiency, synergy between skills).I hope in the future what to pay attention to the developers what a bad synergy between mace1 and mace2 and mace3.About the shield and bow here everything is said.

[Justine.6351]

It was a good cleave skill that hit hard. It could have been cleaned up into a single skill.Instead now we get a new skill nobody will use. I don't play healing rev but I just don't see why people want staff turned into a healing weapon when ventari skills all have short cooldowns. What does this new staff skill bring to healing revenants that they don't already do better with ventari / kalla? Maybe if it did something besides a mediocre heal?

[Maddog.3716]

@Justine.6351 said:It was a good cleave skill that hit hard. It could have been cleaned up into a single skill.Instead now we get a new skill nobody will use. I don't play healing rev but I just don't see why people want staff turned into a healing weapon when ventari skills all have short cooldowns. What does this new staff skill bring to healing revenants that they don't already do better with ventari / kalla? Maybe if it did something besides a mediocre heal?

The developers explained the reason for the change. When you leave ventari to another legend, to remain able to continue support. I don't claim to be true. I so understood developers.

[Madara.7435]

and yet again complains and more complains about something BEFORE the patch even hits.... maybe, just MAYBE you will like the change? but no raging first is always the way to go...

let us just all wait for the patch to come, try out the new healing orb stuff and THEN complain when its bad. thanks

[LucianDK.8615]

Not sure why you guys cant see it. So much of ventari is bound up in the legend, so by adding more heal power on the staff, you are less penalized for legend swapping. But it also cements that staff is a support weapon.

[Knighthonor.4061]

@Justine.6351 said:It was a good cleave skill that hit hard. It could have been cleaned up into a single skill.Instead now we get a new skill nobody will use. I don't play healing rev but I just don't see why people want staff turned into a healing weapon when ventari skills all have short cooldowns. What does this new staff skill bring to healing revenants that they don't already do better with ventari / kalla? Maybe if it did something besides a mediocre heal?

Because healing revs have no support weapon besides elite spec shield. And that sucks as well .

[Knighthonor.4061]

@Madara.7435 said:and yet again complains and more complains about something BEFORE the patch even hits.... maybe, just MAYBE you will like the change? but no raging first is always the way to go...

let us just all wait for the patch to come, try out the new healing orb stuff and THEN complain when its bad. thanks

I agree. I am open to this idea. It's what I wanted from the start for Staff. Heals on attack and better support and defense. If the Auto attack had better damage then it could also be nice. But I want a support weapon. Otherwise if people are against Staff being a support weapon, give the core Revenant it's own support weapon.

[Rym.1469]

I feel like parts of the #2 change were a bit unecessary. After all, CC is often the better support to healing. Plus is has a lot of damage to it. First part of this skill wasn't needed, so glad it's going away - flipovers are great, but not on interrupts.

What it could've been is the old #2, but with one part and for every successful interruption it spawned a healing orb.

3 removes stealth tracking which was key, but we can manage without it. Was a nice niche use to it though.

4 is great.

[meri.9187]

Changes are okay for staff, I guess.

I'm alright with #2 although I will miss that guaranteed daze on a rez or stomp. The healing is surprisingly nice, even though it's only about 600 baseline and around 900 while hitting an enemy, that can add up into more self-sustain. Does cater to the less skilled players as you can literally spam off cd and get extra heal.

3 is meh, I prefer the old projectiles not only to help with stealth tracking but also to either blind while kiting or force a dodge.

4 change is, well, a straight buff. No complaints.

I love the new Salvation line, and I was even trying a bunker-ish build with Herald, Salvation, and Retribution with my normal dps armor and weapons. It worked surprisingly well with the barrier trait as well as the 15% DR. Quite good to add more build diversity although I'll leave it up to Ventari players whether it's good for actual healer rev.

[narcx.3570]

I gotta say, the new staff 2 is pretty good... It's missing an interrupt, which sucks, but it does like, a LOT of damage for only costing 5 energy and having a 5 sec cd. It has a fair telegraph too, so I don't think it will get nerfed... I full modifier hit a Holo for 12k with it earlier when roaming, which was obviously a perfect storm, but across all targets it's been hitting for like 6-10k on average... Having access to something like that on staff is a big step up from before, imo... It gives you the option of swapping to staff to SotM and actually be able to capitalize on it, as opposed to mostly having to wait until you could swap to sword b4 surging.

[torben.1532]

Old staff 2 was good but situational.New staff 2 is good in any situation while being more consistent (speaking of pvp and wvw roaming perspective)

[Za Shaloc.3908]

I'm happy with the staff changes. Although I see the Staff 3 change as a nerf, I think it was warranted as the skill was a bit overtuned in my eyes. The block itself is very powerful on its own. Now it takes positioning to actually land the blind, and a nice side effect is that I can no longer proc Spellbreakers' Full Counter when I'm kiting them with it. Staff 2 is not a ton of sustain without any healing power investment, but I find myself using it more often than I did the old Staff 2 (which I did like as well) and even just that little extra bit of resustain is very nice to have when I'm kiting. The fact that they also kept the weakness on the skill is crucial; reading the patch notes I thought it was being scrapped.