[Engineer Build Help]

@"Infusion.7149" said:I would run marauder's gear and then possibly supplement toughness with your trinkets (use eternal ice shards to get them or convert to LS4 currencies). If you run toughness armor then it will be useless everywhere else.

If you have issues without toughness, running scrapper or using Alchemy traitline is preferable. See https://metabattle.com/wiki/Build:Holosmith_-_Protection_Sword/Shield

yeah....i keep trying to avoid scrapper. its a great class. epic heal and condi cleanse.

but holosmith is more fun to play...i just cant get the sustain T.T

i tried alchemy....wasnt enough

but i'll try marauder. see what happens

[Engineer Build Help]

ok making a holosmith and need help picking an armor stat.the idea for this is story/open worldwith the goal of damage, and survival.

issues i having right now is sustainability, just weak heals (even with regeneration, and big boomer running non stop), and taking alot of dmg from living world story monsters (seriously considering armor)

wish i had scrapper's heal and condi remove drones...those 2 are epic

picking between marauder(power, prec, vit, ferocity)2348 power2298 prec22k hphttp://gw2skills.net/editor/?PewAo6RlZwsYRsQGKOsL+PTA-zRJYiRHfhUXCEYIERFo2A-e

zealot (high power, prec, healing power.....honestly not sure if the healing power stat is worth it cause it doesnt change the heal much. and damn is engineer's heal weak.....)2556 power2086 prec961 heal (....does this actually do anything. i seeing maybe 100-200 heal difference)http://gw2skills.net/editor/?PewAo6RlZwkYRsQGKOsL+PTA-zxIY9ojvQqLBCMEioCUbA-e

Commander (power, prec, toughness, concentration)
2348 power2298 prec2815 armor663 concentrationhttp://gw2skills.net/editor/?PewAo6RlZwkYRsQGKOsL+PTA-zRJYgRHfhUXCEYIERFo2A-e

and Knight (power, prec, toughness)2136 power2086 prec3563 armorhttp://gw2skills.net/editor/?PewAo6RlZwkYRsQGKOsL+PTA-zRJYgRHfhUXCEYIERFo2A-e

leaning to marauder....but with such low armor and heal. i need advice cause i get murdered by enemies that 2-3 shot me. or spam knockdowns (caves suck ass)currently using zealot........and heal power is failing to impress. hence the interest in toughnesscommander seems appealing...

[Why so few engineers?]

@Echoherb.6528 said:Is it because it's complicated? Elementalists are complicated but there's way more of those. Is it the theme? I can kind of see people wanting more of a magically themed class in this kind of game, but at the same time there are plenty of warriors and thieves. Is it because they are difficult to play? Once again I think ele is also very difficult to play and I see a lot of those. I'm curious what's causes so few people to play them.

for me, its mostly cause i like my character aiming their rifle.

yeah....i that petty. i dislike firing from the hip. entire reason xD

well...that and engineer heals seem bad vs Thief,necro,warrior,ranger

[Potential Future Balance Changes - WvW]

@"Cal Cohen.2358" said:Hi Everyone,

We’ve done some work on the next balance update and wanted to share some of the potential changes for discussion and feedback. As a reminder, this update is intended to be smaller but more targeted to address major issues within the game mode as we work toward some major changes in a future update. This is also not the full list of changes for the update, just the ones targeted at WvW.

The goal of this update on the competitive side is not to nerf everything that deserves a nerf, but to bring overperforming builds back in line. There are aspects of every meta build (and even some non-meta builds) that could reasonably be nerfed, but since we’re already looking ahead to a major shakeup we’re more focused on balancing around the current power level for now.

In particular we’re looking at:

• Scourge

We’ve identified scourge as the major pain point in WvW right now, and more specifically Sand Savant’s big shade affecting 10 targets. This has pushed scourge far above other options in terms of damage, while also adding to its strong corrupts and solid barrier application. There are other aspects of scourge that we’re looking into for the future update, but in the short-term we feel that reducing their target cap back down to 5 is a significant change and we want to see how the meta adjusts before making any additional changes to shades. We do still have concerns about their corrupt potential, so we’re also making a slight adjustment to Devouring Darkness.

• Sand Savant: This trait no longer increases the target cap of shade skills in WvW only
• Devouring Darkness (from Lingering Curse): Reduced the number of boons corrupted from 2 to 1 in WvW only

Remember that these changes are not locked down and we still have time to iterate. We look forward to your thoughts and feedback.

-The Systems Team

HURRAY. finally!

ok you've got my attention and optimism now =D

i look forward to the next.

[Besides new Maps, what new WvW content do you all want?]

@fluffy.6301 said:

@arenta.2953 said:

@Limodriver.4106 said:

@arenta.2953 said:

3. make your WvW's performance affect your world again. like giving your world a bonus to magic find, etc.

Thats how daoc works they have strength and power relics, u get world wide message when relic gate is breached and most of pvers put down whatever they are doing to go defend their relics.

sweet. =D

idk if you guys remember but there was the orb of power in wvw before anet ninja removed it after many speed hackers abused it

yep. fun memories.

once, there was a 3 way fight over the orb in the norht. talking all 3 zergs (and all maps had ques back then)

so the first zerg that lot, took the 3 keeps. Jade Quarry ended up winning the brawl, but had no where to put the orb! so we ran to our spawn(not our home map) and just sat there fighting till it despawned. (we had a team working on the hills keep, but back then, people defended keeps an towers with a vengence. you had to pay for every inch in blood.)

....i miss those days...nowadays people don't really defend like before. they go there, and if the enemy has a bigger zerg, they leave and retake it after. back then, it didn't matter who had more. if you had less, you build more siege. keep the congo line coming from spawn, and kept pushing.

[Besides new Maps, what new WvW content do you all want?]

@Limodriver.4106 said:

@"arenta.2953" said:

3. make your WvW's performance affect your world again. like giving your world a bonus to magic find, etc.

Thats how daoc works they have strength and power relics, u get world wide message when relic gate is breached and most of pvers put down whatever they are doing to go defend their relics.

sweet. =D

[Warrior with high suvivability?]

@ArkhamUK.4961 said:Hi guys i need your help. Ive played all the other classes and now im trying warrior but im finding surviving hard. My ability is not great but i enjoy open world PvE.Could you guide me on a build that has increase survivability at the expence of the insane damage? Id rather survive longer since my skill is lacking

so the shout that gives might. heres a trick with it.

theres a trait that heals you when you grant might. PER MIGHT. add that to this shout, plus the shout trait that heals on use. if your solo. its a nice 3k ish heal. if your in a group, 6-7k heal (cause your applying might to up to 5 people)

[Besides new Maps, what new WvW content do you all want?]

@Knighthonor.4061 said:Besides new Maps, what new WvW content do you all want?

For sake of conversation I would like to hear what new content you all would want in WvW besides new Maps.

1. new siege. and siege you can put on wall and not be murdered for trying to use.

2. PvE scenarios that threaten towers and camps on maps where not many players are (they'd be strong enough to take the tower or camp, and make it neutral.

3. make your WvW's performance affect your world again. like giving your world a bonus to magic find, etc.

4. ...overall just more variety. to maps, keep layout, etc

[Let's Talk About WvW Balance]

@God.2708 said:

@arenta.2953 said:

@Dawdler.8521 said:

@arenta.2953 said:

2. walls in WvW are NOT valuable to the defender. due to the range and damage of aoe spam, going on the wall is death. the only value a wall provides is slowing the enemy to give you time to get to the structure. compare this to when game came out, where AoE was alot lower dmg wise, and the only concern you had for being on wall was a scorpion wire. back then walls provided defenders with an advantage of seeing the enemy, longer range(bows), and able to back out at any time. making walls have a use to the defender would be nice for actually using them.
   So what, the zerker necro staff did not exist on release? Not to mention you could barely be near walls due to certain pre-balance
   arrowcarts
   .

Walls have a use and you stated it perfectly - its there to delay the enemy. Its there so that scouts can call out and so that players can arrive and fight each other. This is the core gameplay of WvW. When you try to hinder that... Well we already know what happens, because it

DID

happen. It slows WvW to a crawl and it forced Anet to rebalance siege costs and objective strength just to keep the gameplay going. If anything siege is

still lacking

, such as trebs being to costly in supply for their damage and rate of fire compared to catapults.

This thread really makes me fear for the future of WvW but I guess it cant get much worse.

are you really comparing zerker staff, to scourge? thats like comparing a nerf gun to an actual gun in terms of dmg.

even if we ignore the massive dmg difference, staff marks pop on contact, and don't have pulses. so first person to go in gets hit, but no one behind them does. compare that to scourge. Even with wells, zerker staff is of no note compared to condi scourge.

and how often did attackers build arrow carts, defenders did, an they still do. cause you can't exactly go to the edge of a wall now without being nuked.

heres a video, showing how much less AoE spam there was, as back then the only stuff you worried about 1 shotting you was a backstab from a thief. aka positioning.

so you'd have alot more single target skills. and defenders could actually last a while. sieges like this could actually take hours as both sides fought. rather than the absurd scourge zerg wiping you see now.

now, aoe spam can wipe out entire zergs. less skill more spam.....

See. Stuff like this actually pisses me off. You know why fights took hours? Because EWP was up every 3 minutes and the map was full of 80 people (Can literally see some 40 spawn from WP like 10 minutes into video in an actively contested keep). Not because damage was magically way lower (it was by maybe 10-15%) and TTK was way higher. There's multiple instances of pushes there insta dropping 5+ people if not more. Just like they do today when it is a giant blob v blob. Fights don't 'insta wipe' unless there is a serious number difference, and surprise, they insta wiped back then too! Demostrates a total lack of understanding of WvW history and its issues.

actually, you can see the same situation now. but the difference is scourge AoEs wipe out the other zerg so fast that there is no holding.

zergs are wiped out faster an more fully now. so theres no regroup.

go ahead, go check out SoS's fight with AR last night. outside garrison, on the bridge over the sentry.

one zerg would be wiped out by AoE. and would reform. to go back. not regorup. reform entirely.

fighting over the garrison itself? using the walls, cannons, mortars? nope. as it would be so one sided to the attacker.

a total lack of understanding of WvW history and its issues? i've played WvW since launch. so what makes my experience "lacking understanding" and yours so right? huh?

are you saying me playing WvW since launch has counted for nothing? that me running as commander tag for the first 2 YEARS of the game doesn't count for experiencing wvw?

i've looked at my old livestreams, youtube videos.

and compared it to now. your saying that none of that counts. that i lack understanding?

so tell me, why is your opinion on whats wrong and right with WvW "right", and my opinion "a total lack of understanding"

and btw, yes. dmg back then was way lower. why?

well. AoE.

single target hits of 10k dps. is 10k dps

AoE hits of 8k dps on 5 enemies. is 40k dps

the change from single/weapon swing arc dps. to wells, shades, and any AoE. has lead to an increase in dps. add to that the increased range of aoe. as its not longer how far your weapon swings.

plus, condi ignoring armor. and alot of these AoE (scourge mainly) being condi focused. increases dps due to no dmg reduction from armor/toughness at all

meteor and barrage were the only aoe range of note back then. guess what both of them use for dmg. not condi. so having max toughness reduced the dmg by ~33% from the original 2k armor to 3k. oh, and both can be blocked.(they not unblockable)

and condi ignores that initial 2k armor. so dmg scales even more.

how much condi cleanse do you have? cause pulses that apply more and more condi, will likely overcome it. and resistance, provided it isnt removed by a bubble. isnt long duration or a common boon. missing entirely on most.

[Let's Talk About WvW Balance]

@Dawdler.8521 said:

@"arenta.2953" said:

2. walls in WvW are NOT valuable to the defender. due to the range and damage of aoe spam, going on the wall is death. the only value a wall provides is slowing the enemy to give you time to get to the structure. compare this to when game came out, where AoE was alot lower dmg wise, and the only concern you had for being on wall was a scorpion wire. back then walls provided defenders with an advantage of seeing the enemy, longer range(bows), and able to back out at any time. making walls have a use to the defender would be nice for actually using them.
   So what, the zerker necro staff did not exist on release? Not to mention you could barely be near walls due to certain pre-balance
   arrowcarts
   .

Walls have a use and you stated it perfectly - its there to delay the enemy. Its there so that scouts can call out and so that players can arrive and fight each other. This is the core gameplay of WvW. When you try to hinder that... Well we already know what happens, because it

DID

happen. It slows WvW to a crawl and it forced Anet to rebalance siege costs and objective strength just to keep the gameplay going. If anything siege is

still lacking

, such as trebs being to costly in supply for their damage and rate of fire compared to catapults.

This thread really makes me fear for the future of WvW but I guess it cant get much worse.

are you really comparing zerker staff, to scourge? thats like comparing a nerf gun to an actual gun in terms of dmg.

even if we ignore the massive dmg difference, staff marks pop on contact, and don't have pulses. so first person to go in gets hit, but no one behind them does. compare that to scourge. Even with wells, zerker staff is of no note compared to condi scourge.

and how often did attackers build arrow carts, defenders did, an they still do. cause you can't exactly go to the edge of a wall now without being nuked.

heres a video, showing how much less AoE spam there was, as back then the only stuff you worried about 1 shotting you was a backstab from a thief. aka positioning.

so you'd have alot more single target skills. and defenders could actually last a while. sieges like this could actually take hours as both sides fought. rather than the absurd scourge zerg wiping you see now.

now, aoe spam can wipe out entire zergs. less skill more spam.....

[Let's Talk About WvW Balance]

@Cal Cohen.2358 said:What outliers do you see in the current meta? Then think about the big picture: What issues do you see on a fundamental level that should be addressed?

cmc

ok so a few things

1. AoE Spam. its nothing new, but AoE is now alot more deadly. and this directly leads to problem #2. as well as extremely limiting builds, as most single target builds do less than AoE spam. lowering the range or dmg of some of those AoEs would stop it being an AoE mess.. or limit how many AoEs can affect you at once (say a max of 5 at a time. no joke, this would make a major difference already)
2. walls in WvW are NOT valuable to the defender. due to the range and damage of aoe spam, going on the wall is death. the only value a wall provides is slowing the enemy to give you time to get to the structure. compare this to when game came out, where AoE was alot lower dmg wise, and the only concern you had for being on wall was a scorpion wire. back then walls provided defenders with an advantage of seeing the enemy, longer range(bows), and able to back out at any time. making walls have a use to the defender would be nice for actually using them.
3. Toughness feels useless. ignoring the fact conditions IGNORE it, even vs crit builds, toughness just isn't enough to avoid being 1 shot. so no one bothers with it, and instead everyone goes max dmg as toughness wont help you. vitality has a use for tanking some condi dmg, but toughness just isn't a stat that (even if you main into it) will feel at all useful in WvW. maybe redoing just how much dmg resistance you get for a max toughness build.....or having some condi resist for toughness(thats not affected by armor. just toughness). and yeah...it kinda sucks when a max Knight build(max toughness) warrior. will still be taking 8k to 12k per hit from meteor showers. which somehow feels the exact same as a 0 toughness build for all the good it does.
4. conditions have ONE defense, resistance. but with spellbreaker's elite an other boon strips, plus how rare this boon is, its not something you usually have. a scourge + spellbreaker is basically a perfect combo, no counter other than having more of these 2 than the enemy. when you see burn dmg of 2k per pulse.....its a fast death (and according to people, you can get that up to 8k a tik(if this is true...god help your condi cleanse you gonna be dead on the first proc). with no way other than a condi cleanse...hope you got a backup once it procs again). this could partially be solved by the above toughness buff, but other solutions would be toning down some of hte condi dmg (8k fire proc is not fair in any way. specially as, according to facebook, the skill that uses it is often hard to notice)
5. while range projectiles isn't dead, its defenitly taken a major backseat due to how mobile everyone now is, how many blocks, dodges, and reflects there now are, and with ranged AoEs being unblockable or non reflectable. not sure how to fix this per say, but fixing walls would be a nice step. and for longbows and rifles, having a way to counter warclaws from closing the distance with ease. or making spellbreaker shields smaller so they stop covering such a huge area.

those would be a start.

[What will the Charr legions back in Ascalon think of the Olmakhan Charr and there way of life?]

@Kalavier.1097 said:

@"arenta.2953" said:well lets compare growth

in the years since they broke off. have they thrived? no. they still 1 village. not a town, not a city, never mind a legion. their population is still a small village (which for 200 years is kinda sad)

so their way of life, while not a dead end, isn't exactly a thriving way. at most its a sustaining.

so while the Citadel might not disprove of them (they'll probably view them as an outpost) i doubt the citadel will do anymore than that. as comparing their way of life to the legions. the legions have strength, power, and ironically have done a far better job growing as a race. so the citadel and legion's culture will be the dominant. (just see the population figures)

the Olmakhan will most likely remain semi-outsiders. able to call for legion's help if attacked, and be called to war vice versa. but outside of that, the most htey can hope for is eventually expanding to a few more villages. they'll be appealing to gladiums, but only those gladiums who are looking for a dead end to growth. while those who want to continue to grow in rank and influence will remain in the legions.

To look at this point, this could also mean that the OlmaKhan are very good at managing resources. They may not be "thriving" as in rapid population growth, but if every single member of their village is well fed, educated, and has a home, I'd consider that "thriving" They know they can safely feed X amount of people, and thus maintain population with that in mind.

@Felipe.1807 said:honestly the only real change to the power of races seems to be the introduction of the airship. and yet even that is limtied as we're still seeing the use of regular sail ships when they bring supplies to amnoon.

Like with waypoints and Asura gates, ocean sailing is a viable alternate to airships, which require docking platforms or places large enough to set down in. And with Zhaitan and Joko dead, the seas around Tyria are becoming a lot more safer. Travel to Cantha may not be feasible/safe yet, but travel between Elona and Kryta is.

aye aye

and you are right, manging resources is good, and a form of thriving. but in terms of thriving as a military power. thats what i ment.

in terms of sustainability, stability, and preparedness. they are better off than the legions. (then again, the fact they don't pick fights with humans helps that)

[What will the Charr legions back in Ascalon think of the Olmakhan Charr and there way of life?]

@Telwyn.1630 said:So as the title explains what do you all believe the Blood, Iron, and Ash legions charr will think of the Olmakhan and there way of life since there ancestors fled instead of helping the charr defeat the Flame Legion. What will they think of how they allow parents to raise there own children instead of sending them to a fahrar. Will the Olmakhan be looked down on by the charr back in Ascalon for abandoning there kin and who became nature peace loving charr in another land instead of fighting with the rest of there kin. Will the Legions try more or less force Olmakhan to change from the culture the Olmakhan charr are use to living or just leave them alone in what would be seen as exile to the legions?

I do like the Olmakhan charr and I can imagine what the charr back in Acsalon would think of the Olmakan charr but what do you all think?

well lets compare growth

in the years since they broke off. have they thrived? no. they still 1 village. not a town, not a city, never mind a legion. their population is still a small village (which for 200 years is kinda sad)

so their way of life, while not a dead end, isn't exactly a thriving way. at most its a sustaining.

so while the Citadel might not disprove of them (they'll probably view them as an outpost) i doubt the citadel will do anymore than that. as comparing their way of life to the legions. the legions have strength, power, and ironically have done a far better job growing as a race. so the citadel and legion's culture will be the dominant. (just see the population figures)

the Olmakhan will most likely remain semi-outsiders. able to call for legion's help if attacked, and be called to war vice versa. but outside of that, the most htey can hope for is eventually expanding to a few more villages. they'll be appealing to gladiums, but only those gladiums who are looking for a dead end to growth. while those who want to continue to grow in rank and influence will remain in the legions.

---

@Felipe.1807 said:

@sorudo.9054 said:

@Felipe.1807 said:

@sorudo.9054 said:if the normal charr are really that weak and the olmakhan that powerful they would cower in fear, compared to them normal charr are wimps.

What do you mean by normal charr? The Olmakhan are not powerful, they are just elementalist, which would be expected since they are ex-Flame Legion.i never saw other charr making giant demon charr and cast powerful shields. (with normal charr i mean the ones we play)

I was about to talk of Gaheron, but since you said the player character, i am pretty sure if the PC is elementalist the stuff that the Olmakhan do is child play to him/her...you cant compare lore with game mechanics, i am pretty sure that a Air Overload lore wise should be just as strong as the storm that the Olmakhan summoned when we attacked the Inquest fortress.

thats less of them being more powerful, and more Anet being able to show more.

its the same for all the races. Sylvari then vs now. (able to grow giant vine walls? just Anet able to show more)asura then vs now (asura, well inquest specifically, able to build and expand over all this land. seriously we keep running into them. and Rata Primus is NO small feat. are we to believe they've grown so fast? no. its just not been shown until it became relevant that they have this kind of reach. they've been there for a while)even humans. (heck the watchknight was an exception, and it blew up in their face so at best they still where they were at the start of GW1, just with safer roads and shipping)

its not because they actually getting stronger, its just Anet is able to show off more.

honestly the only real change to the power of races seems to be the introduction of the airship. and yet even that is limtied as we're still seeing the use of regular sail ships when they bring supplies to amnoon.

[Save Ascalon!]

it would be cool to have ascalon immediately after hte searing as a place for high and seek in halloween

[Which weapon should Necromancer get with their next Elite Spec?]

rifle. but let me explain.

imagine, a rifle, fit for tons of poison

knock knock, its the black plague. courtesy of your local Skritt(and totally not skaven)

also..i swear both of the rifles are in game <.<

[rifle vs pistol]

@saerni.2584 said:Rifle has a few advantages over pistol:

• Range
• Variety of boons
• Stealth access
• Projectile denial
• Movement
• Better synergy with traits (stealth on dodge)

Pistol/Pistol has:

• Interrupts
• Better might generation (but may be redundant if running M7)

If you are running Hybrid then Pistol/Dagger beats rifle. But that involves a different playstyle and build design so....Rifle is probably better for you in a power rifle vs power pistols comparison.

p/p also has better dps. but its paper dps. due to relying on more shots + time to apply. its like comparing someone being hit by a rocket going down the road(rifle). vs a train where you hear it a few miles out(p/p)

that said, if your going healign signit, p/p helps alot.

[Save Ascalon!]

@Kalavier.1097 said:No, because time travel plots are very... iffy unless the setting is built with them in mind.

While a fractal themed around An Ascalonian human point of view might be fun, time travel? Ehh...

iffy? SOUNDS PERFECT FOR ASURANS

we will bring the sky down yet!

[Theory build: Sharp shooter]

@"sdt.1697" said:This build I made is for me as sought of a guide for me on what I want to make my profession to be but first I want to get other guy's thoughts on it. I will be using this for PVE stuff in DPS. I made this build around using the guns that the class can do. I'm looking some adives on if there are skills and a second spec I should go with instead of the ones I selected. So, take a look at my build and tell me what you think.

few things

1. Stun break is needed. the 1 trait stun break isn't enough (i recommen roll for initative)

2. to much precision. not enough power. keep in mind you can easily get a Fury buff. plus flanking crit chance buff. plus traits. so having round 70s crit chance is more than enough if u want. rune of the pack or fireworks can help apply this fury plus some additional. or rifle kneel 2.

3. condi removal. SPECIALLY for PvE. thief lacks stability(f you Anet!) and so between stun breaks and condi removals. your gonna be desperate. that 1 heal is iffy.

i'd highly encourage a marauder/berserker mix

lastly, crit trait grandmaster 3. heal off crits. is INSANELY helpful. as is the venom heal skill (more heal)

[Charr Players: How does your character feel about the alliance with Flame Legion?]

@Weindrasi.3805 said:

@"arenta.2953" said:well my char is a female engineer working with the ash legions.

and her father is a.....ex? flame legion shaman.

honestly, had this occured early in her personal story. she'd have been PIIIISSSSEEEDD.

but now. she's less concerned with it and more concerned with inquest being everywhere, and of coarse, dragons.

doesn't mean she'll trust them. if she has to go on a solo mission with them, i doubt she's gonna agree.

she'll give individual members a chance, when mixed with other charr legions like iron or ash. but it will be a while until she trusts them.

---

from an out of game lore perspective. i am worried about flame legion returning. i don't want them to become just another legion. aka accepting females, accepting orders from other legions without complaint. and so on.

their theme isn't a friendly one, an its something that, if change occurs, i want to see happen SLOWLY. not over night. like accepting females. not just 1 mission and then "ok females allowed". no, take his daughter for example. have them begin to accept (grudgingly) as she grows up and accomplishes alot. over the course of a long period of time. making it realistic to how beliefs change not overnight, but slowly

heck i'd like to see it develop in a way where they accept their own females, but still hold negative views to females of other legions. considering how long this legions has operated on its own against the other legions. they seem like they've got alot of pride and grudges. and it wont be simple to remove these, but rather a generational thing. multi generational

Agreed with regard to the lore, however, I think a lot of the slow-changing-of-views has been beginning to happen behind the scenes in the 7 years since Gaheron died... and probably before. Flame Legion has been fighting against females on the battlefield for hundreds of years--unlike cultures where women are universally oppressed, Flame Legion is aware that females are capable whether they want to be or not. There have probably always been a number of men in Flame who are like "yeah, women can do the job, I've fought them on the battlefield/seen them defeat male soldiers/seen them lead enemy warbands," but who--just being soldiers--obey their superiors and keep quiet.

Plus, Flame Legion DOES know their history--the traitor Bathea who gathered women to oppose God-worship, and the traitor Kalla who broke Flame Legion's control over the charr.Flame Legion has learned the hard way that worshiping powerful beings as Gods is a terrible idea--first with the titans, then the destroyers. Then they moved on to "Okay, well maybe worshiping NON-CHARR beings is dumb, but a CHARR god..." ....and thus, Gaheron Baelfire showed up. Gaheron-worship also ended badly.

A thoughtful Flame member might think... women became slaves because they defied the Gods... except they were right all along, the Gods are dead, and now we're refugees... so maaaaaybe we made an oopsie.

Considering all this, I think cultural change can happen in the Flame Legion much faster than it has in real-world cultures. That said, you're right it still won't happen over night. I hope Arenanet portrays some of that tension.

yeah, like over the course of this living story, is a good period of time. not 1 mission, but the whole thing.

example:mission 1: we've met the female cub of the charr in charge of flame legion. we also learn flame legion cubs have been "forced" to be given over to blood legion

mission 2: after the mass defection, flame legion is worried, and want at least some of the cubs back. they are denied and the female cub(swear i gonna look up her name after writing this) dissapears along with the other cubs (turns out later blood legion is hiding that the rebels took a large number of them)

mission 3: fighting this new force, we occasionally see corrupted.....icebranded? charr, those of high ranks maintain self thought, but most are mindless or semi mindless minions. this includes some of the cubs we find. most are still unaccounted for

mission 4: we meet the remaining cubs, who have rallied against the rebels. but being where they are. ultimately end up in an ice prison until they submit. we rescue them

mission 5: being so far north, sending them back home isnt really an option, and so these cubs end up fighting time to time as the camp is under attack. the female charr among them.

mission 6: after multiple fights, large casulties, and battlefield promotions. that female cub is admitted into the flame legion ranks as a (...low level officer?), reluctantly as they need fighters, but are grudgingly against enlisting cubs(even if they have been part of the fight thus far) and females.

following the end of the livign story, casulties are enough that more than a few females are in the flame legions ranks due to shortages in troops. and those higher up in the flame legion generally accept that it was for the best, and is a thing they will continue with.

future expansion or living story after this, we will occasionally see this female cub(grow up) time to time, generally in charge of a warband or slowly increasing in rank.

enough time, and circumstances, to make it believable. choosign between traditions and beliefs of the past, vs surviving by adapting in the present.

it ironically mirrors America in WW2. where so many of the work force were overseas, alot of females took industry jobs previously frowned on. following the war this was never reversed and just became a thing going on. and gradually grew more and more.

what do you think? =)

[Charr Players: How does your character feel about the alliance with Flame Legion?]

well my char is a female engineer working with the ash legions.

and her father is a.....ex? flame legion shaman.

honestly, had this occured early in her personal story. she'd have been PIIIISSSSEEEDD.

but now. she's less concerned with it and more concerned with inquest being everywhere, and of coarse, dragons.

doesn't mean she'll trust them. if she has to go on a solo mission with them, i doubt she's gonna agree.

she'll give individual members a chance, when mixed with other charr legions like iron or ash. but it will be a while until she trusts them.

---

from an out of game lore perspective. i am worried about flame legion returning. i don't want them to become just another legion. aka accepting females, accepting orders from other legions without complaint. and so on.

their theme isn't a friendly one, an its something that, if change occurs, i want to see happen SLOWLY. not over night. like accepting females. not just 1 mission and then "ok females allowed". no, take his daughter for example. have them begin to accept (grudgingly) as she grows up and accomplishes alot. over the course of a long period of time. making it realistic to how beliefs change not overnight, but slowly

heck i'd like to see it develop in a way where they accept their own females, but still hold negative views to females of other legions. considering how long this legions has operated on its own against the other legions. they seem like they've got alot of pride and grudges. and it wont be simple to remove these, but rather a generational thing. multi generational

[Share Your Screenshots]

you ever been curse to only ever use 1 outfit and class because of an art commission you had made that looks to epic to change?

thats me...

[Why do (some) GW1 players like Cantha?]

for me, i love Catha for its main city theme.

aka, a tribute to Kowloon Walled City. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City

where the roads are basically roofs of buildings, and the actual ground is so far below. its a bit like Coresaunt in Star Wars.

what dangers, secrets, and threats hide below in the dark underbelly of the city, so far below it never sees the light. what remnants of the plague or disease survive.

i actually wrote 2 idea storyboards for this. with the idea being Zhaitan "lived" though insanely wounded, and reawoken the disease from GW1 Factions.

https://www.deviantart.com/farseerarya/art/GW2-Cantha-Story-Idea-501244637

https://www.deviantart.com/farseerarya/art/Cantha-GW2-idea-part-2-502290747

[About the Charr victim complex, and Anet's hatred for Ascalon]

@"Julia Nardin.9824" said:I love seeing these sorts of conversations pop up on the forums! :3

Bangar is pretty divisive, even here in the writers' room. When we sat down and started the storybreaking process for Icebrood Saga, it was really important to us that our antagonist be the hero of his own narrative. A villain is only as good as their motivation--and if Bangar doesn't feel that heat, that fire, that conviction, then players aren't gonna buy it either.

me: "heat, fire" suuuuuurrreeeee. looks at the freezer

honestly, it is a bit odd Primordus isn't an option. the Flame Legion seems a natural fit there with the similar veins of magic.

don't get me wrong, i like where you guys are going with this. its just curious that they'd pick the ice dragon.

coarse....maybe Jormag really is planning to team up to fight Primordus (guess he's admitting which of them is the stronger right now).

would be an interesting vein as Norn would feel betrayed that so many Charr team up with THEIR enemy, potentially inviting some of them to seek Primordus? (after all, what has he done to the Norn? nothing, and he's the natural enemy of the Norn's enemy. enemy of my enemy).

meanwhile the Pact can't side with either, and is stuck in the middle, now dealing with dissent and fighting not only in its own ranks, but between these 2 races who are facing choices to go to one side or the other, or remain in the middle(which to those who havent been fighting the dragons......really isnt a very appealing option).

add in the Asura, who hate primordus for forcing them from their home, and they might see some.....opportunity to be with Jormag, at least for a time.

wonder where the flame legion fits in all this....side with these char rebels (to fit in) and go against their natural magic. go primordus (who their magic fits) and be seen as traitors again by the charr. or remain neutral and get torn apart by both the rebels and their own ranks who view this as the weaker option.

heck, Sylvari gotta be terrified right now, ice or fire. both lethal to plant life.

[Stealth permanent]

@kraai.7265 said:

@Caedmon.6798 said:

@kraai.7265 said:

@arenta.2953 said:

@"loutremolle.6578" said:It's just to know if I'm the only one, to find that the virtually perma stealth of thieves is completely stupid. In fight we almost never see the enemy, it does not need to be good in general they are not. There should be a time between 2 stealth ...

yea am mad but i find that really stupid

to quote Anet, Thief is balanced around stealth. so yeah they gonna stealth alot. they forced to

also.

1. Ranger rifle has 1500 range. Ranger longbow has 1500 PLUS falloff range. for a max of 1800-2000 if you higher up.
2. thief has 3 secound reveal time between end of stealth and returning to stealth. they can buff this reveal time with toughness or power.
3. thief has laughably little hp, no stability, kitten condition removal(relying on being in stealth to remove most dmg conditions), and stun breaks are limited.
4. thief AoE is limited
5. thief has the WORST downed skills. wont help in WvW or PvE.

tldr; thief doesnt have better range, they not easy to stealth due to reveal, reveal skills(which break stealth), lack of defense vs CC knockbacks, stuns, daze, knockdowns,

and even in stealth, you can hit with normal attacks, just swing at where you think thief is, if animation plays, you hit them. so keep swinging. AoE spam em.

I can't belive you really defend a class which stealths after doding, kitten m8, really? i mean you get bursted by any class in game, you just dodge run away and use some stealth rotations. In less than a full minute you are back ooc full health, the enemy focusing you has lost your track...

Learn to counter ? We have Reveals ingame and an absurd amount of Projectile hate. Being it Reflects or Blocks. Then you have Aoe spamming,and rangers etc and lets not pretend everyone runs alone because you dont,people always have backup and fb's/ele's/holos to carry you aswell with their absurd amount of constant prot/stabi/aegis/reflect sharing and pooping out heals left and right while being able to shut De's down due to the amount of projectile hate. It can be countered in Numerous ways. Besides we have 2 items ingame to use that will reveal them for 30 seconds,sentrys and towers with radars will reveal them aswell and an entire north area dedicated to revealing on desert bl, what more do you people want. And knowing they use dodge for stealth you could also realize that dodges are being wasted alot of times to gain stealth instead of dodging damage,maybe make use of that fact, or do you think they have an unlimited amount of dodges aswell ?

between rifle, shadow meld and dodges they can stay in stealth for ever, i use a build like that to troll in pvp all the time, they never see me coming until the 18k malicious backstab hits, also, yes we have reveals... some of us, i personally main mesmer and i don't have any, but then again, thieves can stealth on dodge, dodge bar regenerates way faster than any cd of any revealing skill, so even if you manage to reveal them 3 times in a row, so they waste both shadow meld casts, they are already at full vigor again ready to dodge, and btw, for a thief using perma stealth build, it only takes one dodge with rifle for me to get away, after the first dodge if you dont reveal me, you won't see me again for a while, as long as i want to actually, and if you do reveal me i have shadow meld so kitten it

and fyi it doesn't count as a counter to bring friends with you, if you do then you wouldn't be the one who is countering anything, and if your idea of balance is that to counter a stupid thief you have to be with friends then what you are saying is ridiculous.

Also i run alone almost all the time, even in pvp i try to rotate looking for 1v1, not everyone wants to be carried all around by fb or holos.... that comment was plain stupid, it may be YOUR playstyle not mine.

again tell me it's balanced taking in account those facts.

stealth on dodge, and beeing able to dodge while stunned or snared were the most stupid decisions anet made class desing wise, it's time for them to realize it, and for lame players abusing those mechanics and some others... like holo... to stop making excuses. I've been playing long enough to know whats broken from whats not, and im not talking dmg wise, even tho a 18k backstab is unbelivable, im talking about mechanics.

dodge while stunned? da fk?

show me how you do that. and stun breaks don't count, as those not dodges. https://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Lightning_Reflexes <not a dodge, its a stun break skill

also dodge while snared? nope. if you immoblized you can't unless you do something to remove the condi first. (which is just daredevil. i wont defend that....so fire at will. all others require specific skills with cooldowns. namely a heal plus a trick.)

also, stealth on dodge is just while holding a rifle.

[Stealth permanent]

@Turk.5460 said:

@arenta.2953 said:

1. Ranger rifle has 1500 range. Ranger longbow has 1500 PLUS falloff range. for a max of 1800-2000 if you higher up.

On flat ground, the max distance is 1875. This has been tested and proven multiple times. The distance can reach 2200 from slight elevation I believe.

you mean for longbow? i thought we tested that to 2000. damn....want to play ranger all of a sudden xD