[Time to fix warhorn?]

/signed

Warhorn is overdue for some Churning Earth treatment.

[Sugestions to make catalyst feel a bit better to play]

On 9/18/2022 at 8:30 PM, scerevisiae.1972 said:

hammer catalyst, half-baked & poorly thought-through)

I'd just like a better balance of ranged and melee skills so it feels different to sword and dagger.

[Hammer sucks]

I'm trying hard to like it but skills just feel thrown together like a kitchen sink, just feels bad.

I don't like the circular projectiles at all, makes me feel like I have to be in melee range, which is not what I want.

Why do water and earth attunements have no ranged skills?

Why does this weapon even exist on what the website describes as a "ranged caster"?

Just a terribly designed weapon IMO.

</feedback>

[What would you like to see from Ele's next espec]

On 8/6/2022 at 7:48 PM, scerevisiae.1972 said:

Something a bit different:

Attunements have 3sec cast times and 30sec CDs, so you're more or less forced into comitting to a single element for an extended period. Attuning to an element immolates the caster in the element, ie: attunement to fire, you're surrounded by flames. attuning to an element . 

Switching attunements puts the caster into a mist-like form, gaining superspeed and all incoming damage and incoming healing are reduced by 50%, puts all other attunements on 30sec CD.

Note: the spec doesn't get a new  weapon, uses existing weapons, but only for stats -- think a monk-like spec that dedicates itself to its craft, not weaponry per se.

Each attunement is a completely different form:

• fire form, medium-ranged caster, pulses burning, damage and might around the caster every 2sec and can cast 600 ranged cone AOEs and has a short-CD 600 range leap/evade. Fragile but high damage and relatively mobile.
• air form, long range caster, casts lightning bolts, pulses vulnerability, damage and swiftness around the caster every 2sec, and casts mainly 1200 range single target damage and has a medium-long CD teleport and long CD PBAOE knockback. 
• water form, mixed-range support caster, pulses regen and AOE condi cleanse around the caster every 2sec, casts 900 range frostbolts and healing AOEs
• earth form, short-ranged tank, pulses bleeding, damage and protection around the caster every 2sec, casts 300 range range cone AOEs, has access to immobilise and a smoke field and blast (so evasive arcana could double blast)

GM traits

• fire/water affinity: attunement to fire and water reduced to 1sec, but you're unable to attune to earth or air
• air/earth affinity: attunement to air and earth reduced to 1sec, but unable to attune to fire/water
• master of none: attunement cast times are reduced to 1sec  and attunment CD is reduced to 15sec, but you no longer pulse any boons or dmg

 

utility skill type is mantra:

• mantra of the flowing wind: gives AOE superspeed, 2 ammo, 5sec CD, 30sec recharge,
• mantra of cleansing fire: converts 2 condis into boons, 2 ammo, 10sec CD, 30sec recharge
• mantra of the resolute earth, grants AOE barrier, protection and AOE stunbreak, 2 ammo, 15sec CD, 45sec recharge
• mantra of sustaiting water, grants ~1K AOE barrier, ~2.5K heal over 3sec, 2 ammo, 10sec CD, 25sec recharge

 

elite skill: Mantra of arcane insight,  your next attunement is instant, 2 ammo, 45sec CD, 60sec recharge.

 

 

 

Basically, the core idea is, each elemental form is independently viable on its own and much less emphasis on switching.

Some great ideas in there. Especially like the idea of breaking with the usual "swap through attunements as quickly as possible".

 

Short answer: anything but hammer

 

Longer answer: don't really care, as long as the new spec weapon/mechanic is good in all game modes, especially WVW, I'll be content. Hammer was a complete design abomination from my point of view, and a total screw you to the Ele community at large. Even as a casual visitor to this forum it was abundantly obvious that people were asking for a new ranged weapon, not another melee weapon.  

Not to mention, no attempt has been made to improve it, even after all the complaints and terrible poll numbers.

[How would you rate Catalyst?]

5 hours ago, Cygneis.1730 said:

Honestly, give it a try. It's not nearly as bad as some people on the forum make it to be.

I tried it in beta and to be honest I thought it was pretty bad. Felt like a slightly different version of sword TBH.

I don't understand why they gave Ele another melee weapon when the last 2 elite specs had melee weapons. I know warhorn isn't exactly pure melee, but it's pretty close to it.

 

[How would you rate Catalyst?]

I haven't bought the expansion but I like Ele the most. Curious to know what the community thinks of it.

[Hammer is still terrible]

On 2/21/2022 at 4:23 PM, HotDelirium.7984 said:

Maybe just MAYBE after the EOD release and they get real-world gameplay and feedback (and all the numbers they can see that we can't), when they see that almost nobody is playing with a hammer then MAYBE they will optimize it.

agree, boycotting hammer is the best strategy.

[BTW, in case you missed it, Ele is now a primary melee class]

I just don't know what they were going for with hammer. Why would you make another melee weapon that fills exactly the same space as dagger and sword but is worse than either of them at everything.

If you were going to make a short-medium range weapon, why would you give it only 6 out of 20 600-range skills? And even then, those 6 skills are kinda underwhelming. 

[Hammer should be based around 600 range cone AOEs]

1 minute ago, scerevisiae.1972 said:

There's really no getting away from the conclusion that Hammer was the weapon that noone wanted, and even if hammer were the first melee weapon for Ele (instead of the third), it would still not be a good weapon. 

Quoting for truth.

[Should the fourth elementalist elite specialisation be ranged or melee?]

I don't want to wait 2 more year either, I just want Hammer to be reworked into a majority ranged weapon, like it should always have been.

 

I have zero interest in buying this expansion in current form.

[Hammer is still terrible]

On 12/17/2021 at 1:38 AM, Tungsten Monarch.6058 said:

Look, let's just admit we got the specialization no one asked for, with a weapon no one asked for and move on. Meanwhile we have the Tempest for the next 4 to 5 years.

yes this

[Hammer should be based around 600 range cone AOEs]

Hammer should definitely have had 600 range as its "base range" with a small number (3-4) melee skills and maybe 1-2 900 range skills.

I don't get the #3 skills, they don't fit the weapon at all, just some gimmick. It actually holds the weapon back as those 4 skills are useless if you are trying to play at 600 range and even in melee range they feel very ineffectual.

Cone area-effect skills for each element would be a good start but I'd want to see all 4 elements with a 600 range auto-attack as well. It feels really bad to switch Fire/Air -> Earth/Water while at 600 range and not be able to do anything. Did I mention no superspeed or swiftness? 

What a horrible weapon.

 

[Please, just remove the energy mechanic]

Yes I would also just prefer a regular CD on the F5. I don't see the value of having a whole separate energy system when a regular CD would serve the same function.

It feels bad having to hit low level mobs to pre-stack energy before you do the real encounter.

[Rate catalyst Round 2 (beta 4)]

Voted "Bad".

Profession mechanic is kinda boring - it's just a field, so what, rest is core Ele.

Hammer is not bad, it is terrible. Too much like dagger and sword and too much emphasis on melee.

Maybe 600 range could work but needs more 600 ranged skills and more mobility to match cause 600 is a very awkward range to play around.

Someone suggested 600 range cone AOEs like warrior hammer 3, that would have been a great match for Ele hammer.

I hope they seriously rework hammer or at least add more ranged elements.

[Please, just remove the energy mechanic]

Yeah the energy thing is very clunky. What's the point of it. Just annoying.

[Catalyst Feedback Thread]

I really don't like hammer at all.

The mish-mash of melee and short ranged skills doesn't work. I didn't enjoy it all. I'd much rather have a proper  600-1200 ranged weapon.

Few other things like the orb skills don't feel very impactful because the duration of them is way too short and I don't want to be in melee range anyway.

Having fire/air be ranged and earth/water as melee doesn't make any sense to me. I think water/earth attunements should be completely reworked.

Feels really bad to get stuck in water or earth attunement at range and not be able to do anything.

Why is the only gap closer in water attunement? 

Also what is the point of energy?

I don't know, just feels really clunky and badly designed.