[Potential Future Balance Changes - WvW]

Good Afternoon Cal,

I think the changes for Scourge will hopefully help bring some diversity to the game for WvW due to it being oppressive in that particular game mode.

Could you please look into other classes for Support? You have buffed some classes, notably Warrior's support line but left a niche class such as Chronomancer - Support Wells in the dust.

Chronomancer Support wells are the support skills that nobody wants to use because they give out mediocre boons and require targets to stay stationary to benefit from them. This is made even worse when you have classes that give out similar boons and more while running around (such as Firebrand Tomes).

If you want Chronomancer to be more damage orientated then have the wells be more for damage, as it stands now they are pretty useless in almost every game mode.

PLEASE ADJUST THE SUPPORT WELLS.

Thank you.

[Upcoming Balance Notes - 10/1/2019]

Hello ArenaNet Balance Team,

You have again ignored the fact that Chronomancer Support Wells are a terrible design in almost every game mode. While you are tweaking Firebrand you NEED to buff other support orientated classes. You are leaving them too far behind.

Seize the Moment: This trait now applies quickness in a 240 area-of-effect radius around the mesmer and can hit 5 targets (including the mesmer).

That doesn't help us because, unless I missed it, we still cannot self-shatter on chronomancer. Also, Firebrand can give out quickness every time it gives out Aegis....

You need to rework chronomancer wells, as previously mentioned:

@"Novaura.1079" said:Hello,

Can you please look into adjusting Chronomancer Support wells?

You made support wells as that classes niche that no one wants to stand in for mediocre boons that anyone else can give out while mobile but these require you to be stationary.

Please have them pulse around you as you move similar to the Function Gyros as they are now a "well". This would help diversify some of the support monopoly that firebrand has especially if you give some of them stability / barrier / resistance.

Literally a terrible choice having a stationary support well with those kinds of boons that no one will stand in any almost any game mode.

[Future Potential WvW-centric Balance Changes - September 13th 2019]

Hello,

Can you please look into adjusting Chronomancer Support wells?

You made support wells as that classes niche that no one wants to stand in for mediocre boons that anyone else can give out while mobile but these require you to be stationary.

Please have them pulse around you as you move similar to the Function Gyros as they are now a "well". This would help diversify some of the support monopoly that firebrand has especially if you give some of them stability / barrier / resistance.

Literally a terrible choice having a stationary support well with those kinds of boons that no one will stand in any almost any game mode.

[Future Potential WvW-centric Balance Changes - September 6th 2019]

• Would your gameplay change as a result? How?Combat would shift from being largely a power based fight to power/conditions

• Do you feel these changes would improve or worsen the state of the game?Well, the same classes that are currently part of the WvW meta won't change much, we will just add more. You need to give other support specializations a bit more love

• Are you looking forward to these potential changes? Why?It will allow stealth countering to return, break up the pure power meta, and hopefully start the crack open the door for other support specializations

• What are your concerns and the consequences you expect with this set of changes?Conditions being too powerful or other support classes not getting enough buffs.

• Superior Rune of Antitoxin: Change it so that instead of increasing outgoing condition cleanses by one it instead increases incoming condition cleanses by one, thus only affecting the wielder, but allowing it to scale up with external cleanses.Good.

Engineer

• Purge Gyro: Reduce the number of cleansing pulses from 5 to 3 in WvW. Pending the superior rune of antitoxin change, this may stay at 5 cleansing pulses.
• Sneak Gyro: Increase the cooldown of this ability from 45 to 75 60 seconds in WvW.
• Corona Burst: The existing split from PvP of reduced might gain is brought to WvW. Reduced the damage of this ability by 20% in PvP and WvW.
• Holographic Shockwave: Reduced range from 600 to 300.
• Impact Savant: See if there is a way to include condition damage on this trait globally. Reduce the vitality loss of this trait from 300 to 180 in WvW and PvP.
• Chemical Field: This skill is replaced by Detection Pulse (from the old Sneak Gyro elite toolbelt) as the toolbelt skill for Purge Gyro.Good changes overall. Will still be a needed class to counter stealth

Guardian

• Stand Your Ground: Reduce the stacks of stability granted by this ability from 5 to 3 in WvW.
• Tome of Courage, Chapter 5 - Unbroken Lines: This skill no longer grants aegis or retaliation.
• Tome of Resolve, Chapter 2 - Radiant Recovery: The existing split from PvP of cleansing 2 conditions is brought to WvW as well. This ability would continue to cleanse 3 conditions in PvE.
• Tome of Courage, Chapter 2 - Daring Challenge: This skill grants retaliation for 3 seconds instead of aegis.
• Sanctuary: Increase number of enemies that can be knocked back by this skill from 10 to 20 before it expires.While I don't mind the lessening of stability from the skill...you really need to help other classes/specializations if you are going to do this. Someone else also needs to be able to bring stability in an mobile AOE fashion similar to Guardian and be support orientated. Such as giving support wells on Chronomancer more help.

Mesmer

• Illusion of Life: ~~Increase the cooldown of this skill from 75 to 90 seconds in PvP & WvW and reduced the duration from 15 seconds to 8 seconds of its effect in PvP & WvW ~~ Reduce the invulnerability period on revived allies. Improve the smart targeting on this skill so it can't fail in big group situations where there is someone downed and lots of people near them.
• Chaotic Interruption: This trait has been re-worked and now reduces the cooldown of one of your weapon abilities that is already on cooldown by 5 seconds when you interrupt a foe.
• Power Break (Mantra of Pain): This skill now requires you to face your target and respects line of sight.
• Power Lock (Mantra of Distraction): This skill now requires you to face your target and respects line of sight.Ok. Can we please rework support wells now? Have them pulse around the user while they move. Add barrier based on healing / aegis and some stability. Support wells are a poor design in combat that requires active dodging and movement when the reward for staying them is so low. Treat them similar to Scrapper Gyros

Necromancer

• Oppressive Collapse: This skill will require line of sight on the activation.
• Sand Cascade: Reduce the base barrier granted by this skill by 33% in WvW & PvP, increase the healing power contribution by 20%, as the healing coefficient is already pretty strong.
• Sand Flare: Reduce the base barrier granted by this skill by 25% in WvW, increase the healing power contribution by 33%.
• Desert Shroud: Increase the base barrier granted by this skill by 10%, increase the healing power contribution by 15% and reduce the damage inflicted by this ability by 20% in WvW.
• Sand Savant: We've wanted to address the target cap issue with this trait in WvW for a while, however it is an incredibly gnarly problem because this is a large functional change that would need to be preserved between game modes. This was why the cooldown split was made on this trait originally. We hear you that the trait is an issue and we're working on it. This is a tough case to crack in a manner that does not leave one mode suffering due to the changes made for another.
• Feast of Corruption: Reduce damage by 20% in PvP & WvW. The existing split from PvP of corrupting 2 boons is brought to WvW. This ability continues to corrupt 3 boons in PvE.
• Devouring Darkness: Reduce damage by 20% in PvP & WvW. The existing split from PvP of corrupting 2 boons is brought to WvW. This ability continues to corrupt 3 boons in PvE.Glad these changes are happening and I am looking forward to how you will address Sand Savant. Scourge makes so many other classes irrelevant in WvW (like reaper for the most part) due to its ranged corrupt / damage mitigation / ranged damage that other classes get punished for for being in melee.

Ranger

• Long Range Shot: Reduce the damage range of this skill from 0.7-0.9 to 0.6-0.8 in WvW only.Bless you and your children and pets.

Revenant

• Gaze of Darkness: This skill would reveal stealthed enemies up to 600 range away in addition to striking enemies within its 360 radius.
• Coalescence of Ruin: This skill would no longer deals increased damage with successive impacts; instead it deals damage equal to what was previously the middle impact damage. Damage remains split between game modes. A red warning rectangle visible to enemies has been added to this skill.Looks good

ElementalistTry giving tempest a shout that gives a little stability or barrier......

[Potential Future Balance Changes]

These changes are a great start.

The meta has been a bit toxic because of lack of meaningful reveal skills. Bringing scrapper reveal back is a nice change.

Scourge and Firebrand currently dominate the meta and lowering the scourge damage is also a nice change, I still think it needs more nerfs in WvW for damage with it it being even more support orientated and less damage.

Firebrand, if it wasn't the be all end all support profession we could see some more diversity. Limiting some of its boons to other classes and not firebrand could be a starting place.

For Chronomancer, I really think you should rework support wells. They should pulse AOE around you like the new Scrapper gyros and be more support themed such as giving our pulsing barrier (right now scourge gives out the best barriers). Really, Support Chrono wells need looked at, they are extremely underwhelming.