Za Shaloc.3908

This is the build I am currently experimenting with in WvW to see how it does pre-patch: http://gw2skills.net/editor/?POwEYiNssC2CDjxwKxyV6vpWiHvC-zVJYjRNfhEUBkaIUdG47BJU6t43mF-w I will be honest that I am rusty at Ranger. I have shelved it for the past year and a half because I lost interest in playing Soulbeast, so the theorycrafting may not be super on point. Basically these are my thoughts: Value of water fields will be increased. This spec has access to 3 of them, and with Quickdraw this makes their access more frequent if fields are what you are after.Value of blast finishers will consequently be increased as well. Just like water fields, this spec has access to 3. Nice thing about Staff 3 w/ Quickdraw is that you can essentially double-cast it with like a 1-ish sec CD for a double blast/burst heal.My guess is that strong healing in general will be more sought after. Glyph of Alignment is a slept-on burst heal and it is only getting a CD adjustment, but no numerical adjustment. It will be a hard hitter. This may just be stubbornness speaking because I have always really liked the skill. I have also taken Invigorating Bond for similar reasons: with healing in general being reduced, the trait will have a little more value since it is not being tuned down. Still a rather lackluster trait, but I'm after the traited NM for the traited Warhorn for better regen uptime.Glyph of Rejuvenation may be a good choice, but my thought process is that with Druidic Clarity decreasing in value, Cultivated Synergy becomes a bit better of an option. This effectively makes Healing Spring a pretty darn strong support skill with all the other utility it brings as well. I liked taking traited WHaO previously for the big range AoE regen/swiftness, but with the big CD increase, I just don't see it being worth it anymore. Signet of Renewal is nice for the CA generation, an additional stunbreak, and a burst group condi clear. May be stupid with how much damage gets thrown out there, but my hope is that it won't be too much to render the pet useless like it currently is. I guess we will see. I tend to play in puggy fights and don't really follow tags too often, so I don't see the pet issue being quite as glaring as it may be in those situations.With Stand your Ground getting nerfed, group stab access will be less. Having a group stunbreak will increase in value. Glyph of Equality is there for that.The spec has pretty solidly paced condi cleanse access: Seed of Life, Verdant Etching, Glyph of Alignment, Glyph of Equality, Healing Spring, light fields/blast finishers, and the good 'ol brown bear. Burst condi cleanse is limited to just SoR, but in general it can provide a steady flow of cleanses.Glyph of Stars being at a 48s CD will be pretty hype. With rez traits getting gutted (aside from actual skills like proper rez signets), the rez value of GoS will be quite valuable. Additionally, the non-CA version is quite nice for massive condi area denial, especially with condis probably becoming significantly stronger in the patch.Not really sure about Monk Runes since its boon access is rather bursty and infrequent. Still playing with this idea. Minstrel feels like a bit of a waste since it doesn't get huge value from concentration, but I have been playing with full Cleric's + Instinctive Reaction and I feel like paper. Will be different in the patch, so maybe if Minstrel's doesn't feel as necessary going Cleric's will be good to maximize healing potential.This build is of course assuming that I have the ability to sacrifice my own self-survivability through support from others. If I was running in smaller scale, I'd change the build a lot to become more selfish. I play WvW a ton, but play pretty casually and as I please, so my perspective is not from a high-end GvG or zerg v zerg perspective. Still probably far off from ever having a spot there. It's more about how I can play the spec I want to play for enjoyment and contribute the most to a group despite it being an off-meta pick.

You actually summed up my thoughts almost perfectly. To be honest, I do see Druid gaining more momentum as a support. Healing Spring seems like it will actually be a pretty popular heal, even untraited. The blast potential on a support build with Quickdraw will carry a higher impact now for the reasons you mentioned. Also, Druid is coming out with healing modifier power competing with Ventari, who additionally is seeing nerfs to its healing strength. Not sure how it will actually pan out, but my feelings are that comparatively speaking, they are coming out a little stronger post-patch.

Yeah, this just reads as a lazy bandaid "fix." As much as I loathe Mirage, them getting 1 dodge is just silly.

The support Druid dream will never die. I will try to be somewhat tame with my ideas since the whole scope of this is to bring down the power level, but the efficacy level between Druid and Firebrand will still be quite stark. Staff in particular is in need of some major love, so I may have gotten carried away with the buffs. The weapon is suffering an identity crisis though, so I think it needs it as Druid's ability to support outside of CA form is very poor. Aside from the staff suggestions, the goal was not to overdo it with the buffs. Seems like stab support won't happen at all. Spirits are beyond help in competitive modes and I like the idea of them becoming spirit weapons, but that's for another day. STAFF Solar Beam (Staff 1): Heal effect now additionally occurs in a 180 radius around the player. Does not affect self.Astral Wisp (Staff 2): Now blinds enemies in a 180 radius upon arrival. If no enemy is targeted, the wisp will now circle around the Druid. Cast time reduced to 1/2s. Increased orbit speed by 50%. Improved tracking so it doesn't disappear due to terrain so easily.Ancestral Grace (Staff 3): Now also grants protection (3s) to affected allies. Does not affect self.Vine Surge (Staff 4): Now functions as a cone. Cast time reduced to 1/4s. Velocity increased. Sublime Conversion (Staff 5): Now functions as a 240 radius ring. CELESTIAL AVATAR Cosmic Ray: Increased radius from 120 to 180.Natural Convergence: Upon successfully channeling, now grants protection to nearby allies (360 radius).GLYPHS Glyph of Alignment (CA only): Now a 900 range targetable AoE.Glyph of Equality (CA only): Radius increased to 360.Glyph of the Stars (CA only): Can now be affected by quickness.Glyph of Unity: Cooldown reduced from 30s to 20s. *Glyph of Unity (Non-CA only): Grants protection to self.*Glyph of Unity (CA only): Grants regeneration to affected allies.TRAITS Celestial Shadow: Cooldown increased to 15s in PvP only.Invigorating Bond (CORE): Additionally, your active pet gains 50% of your healing power. Verdant Etching (DRUID): Additionally, increases the radius of Seed of Life & Lesser Seed of Life from 180 to 240.Lingering Light: Additionally, reduces the cooldown of Celestial Avatar form from 20s to 10s in PvP only.PETS Regenerate (FERN HOUND): Reduced cast time to 1/2s.Protecting Screen (BLUE MOA): Reduced cast time to 1/2s.Furious Screech (RED MOA): Reduced cast time to 1/2s.

Both merging and unmerging trigger it. A bit awkward of synergy, yes, but technically you have two ways of proccing it now.

Sadly this and the Unwavering Avoidance change hit Ventari harder than any other legend. I am willing to adapt without Empty Vessel but the legend would benefit greatly from an actual stunbreak.

It doesn't root the player, it is a mobile channel. Honestly I really like the skill and have been trying to make it work, and have with varying success. I think it will be a bit more relevant with everything being brought down, but I would like to see some more attention brought to the e-spec in general. Only thing IMO that the skill needs is for the CA version to be affected by quickness.

Okay time for some more thoughtful analysis. Empty Vessel being removed is a huge change for not just Invocation, but the class as a whole. I am not heartbroken about it itself being gone, but specifically about Ventari's inability to recover from CC's. In the current balance, they have both Empty Vessel and/or Unwavering Avoidance as options. With those gone, it leaves Ventari Revenants much more vulnerable to CC as they will be reliant on the stunbreak from their secondary legend. Glaring Resolve is actually a very welcome addition to the traitline, and it would be a great addition to Ventari Revenants, but if the legend has no access to a stunbreak, and there is no stunbreak available on swap, it becomes significantly less relevant. I will continue to suggest the implementation of a stunbreak on Purifying Essence at the cost of an increase to 30 energy.Another part of my frustration with the removal of Empty Vessel is that the minors are now completely dedicated to damage specs despite the traitline being an inherently jack-of-all-trades and utility-based traitline. Personally, I think the minors should have a higher emphasis on legend swaps. At this point, I think the traitline needs some rearranging and should be not be so deeply biased towards a specific playstyle and damage type.. I would suggest that Spirit Boon become a minor as a starter, although my full ideas would probably piss off all the power Revs in here so I will start there.Draconic Echo and Incensed Response will both remain too strong in WvW. Both traits should be brought down to the newly desired power level. Draconic Echo should have some WvW-specific split or tradeoff, and Incensed Response should either be removed or have its PvP split moved to WvW as well. Mindless 25 might is the epitome of powercreep and this trait right here is a huge culprit. Aggressive Agility is pretty hype for any build using Mallyx/Staff/Axe/OH-Sword. In general, I like the re-evaluation of Devastation, but I am curious about the numbers balancing of Battle Scars. At the very least, it seems more engaging and thoughtful, which I do appreciate. On paper, I really like the restructuring of Corruption a lot. Super hyped that we can now self-inflict torment and then transfer it without FoN-Mallyx. Digestible trait synergy! It competing with Demonic Defiance is pretty big, but competitive trait choice is always welcome. Also, Abyssal Chill has its synergy restored with Mallyx! I will miss the confusion, but being able to chill players on command is huge and will make it a fantastic skill for closing down on an enemy. I am honestly afraid that condi Rev is going to be too powerful. I do fear that the Shiro changes will be too heavy-handed. The nerf to Riposting Shadows is huge. My first impression is that this will push players away from Power Herald and move to core Shiro/Jalis w/ Charged Mists in order to supplement the increase in energy costs (especially with Song getting nerfed).Hammer seems like it will become even more niche than it already is. To make it more well-rounded, I would start by decreasing the cast time of Drop the Hammer to ~0.75s to more closely mirror Reaper's Mark. Also, please fix CoR.Healing orbs still exist. Please delete them from this game forever.

Funnier one to me is nerfing Lasting Legacy and not touching Incensed Response. Lol yeah, by all means gut that dumb trait.

With all this talk of profession balance, please remember to further evaluate runes and sigils. There are still some outlying overperformers, Tormenting Runes being the most notable to me, especially with sustain being brought down. Play a Mallyx Rev and tell me that the runes are balanced in any way, shape, or form.

Yeah, that's exactly how I feel. Imagine playing Ventari now without that and with Unwavering Avoidance no longer granting stability. Feelsragdollman. Yeah, Rev is going to have so few answers to CC now it’s insane. This (on top of all the years of other things being removed) pretty much makes me never want to pick up WVW or PvP again, which is unfortunate since I used to love the modes. Being a rag doll is never funI almost exclusively WvW. From these changes, I see something like core condi Rev gaining major momentum for group play. Mallyx/Jalis; Corruption, Invocation, and Devastation for Brutality or Retribution for Versed in Stone. People still sleep on the spec and I only imagine it only becoming stronger with everything around it being brought down. Also Glaring Resolve is a pretty big deal for condi Rev since it is the most able spec to sacrifice Cleansing Channel, and it solidifies Pain Absorption and RotGD as legit stunbreaks now.

I feel like they should change the animation now so it is more visually clear to the player, to a rock with legs.

Yeah, that's exactly how I feel. Imagine playing Ventari now without that and with Unwavering Avoidance no longer granting stability. Feelsragdollman.

RIP Empty Vessel. ;-;

Just to help sift through all the other stuff, and to provide a spot to discuss all of these changes. Please don't quote the entire post when adding to the discussion. GLOBAL PvP WvW

Tfw you nerf Elevated Compassion and don't touch Draconic Echo

Support Druid and Ventari Rev. Maybe I am just a masochist by nature.

You may already be aware of this, but eles already have aoe stab application (rock solid). It's in the earth line though, so I'd understand why it 'wouldn't count'. It also only lasts for 2 seconds, so... Lol true, I totally meant to mention that it would conflict with that and thought it'd be nice to have Rock Solid take Earthen Blast's place. Would be a nice change for the Earth line and would make overloading Earth a bit better too.

At this point with them reducing powercreep, the only thing I'd really like to see is for Eles to get some sort of AoE stab application. Stab on auras sounds toxic af to fight against, so I'd rather not see that. My idea is for Earth's Embrace to turn Armor of Earth into an AoE effect. They could move it to the major master line so prot auras would still be possible to take with it.

If FB's want to rez like that, they should have to take Singet of Mercy and endure a cast time and a longer cooldown. MI is a toxic skill for this game mode in its current iteration, especially considering there is an invuln frame for downs. A good FB will exploit this and there's nothing you can do about them getting the rez off.

From one core Rev fanatic to another, nice video! Mallyx and Jalis is a fun combo. I am so accustomed to running Charged Mists to the point that anything else feels like a handicap, but it seems like you make it work! What ammy and runes do you run?

Battle of the egos here. Anyway, nice list. Most of the people I have come across on the list that I have had personal interactions with have been cool to talk to. Agriope's channel is honestly probably my favorite to watch because she has good gameplay, professional and tasteful editing, and a pleasant personality.

Oh my god. I didn't think it was that bad in pictures, but I just got home and logged on, and...my god. I'm cracking up right now. Holy kitten it is so bad. What the actual kitten lmao!

We'll see what happens in the balance patch, where they have stated they are reviewing every trait and skill. One can hope that the dead utility skills have a bit of life breathed into them.

The build looks pretty nice. I was vying for those two utility skills on the core condi build I had going because it seemed like corrupts is probably one of the best choices if wanting to make an impact. My only fear is playing with one stunbreak. Do you find you get a lot of value from Dhuumfire? Yeah, most often I run without support and just run random comps with friends, so like 90% of the time it's just casual fun. I was thinking speed runes are definitely a good idea, but I don't have legendary light armor so before I made a commitment to then, I wanted to find a good build (or stat spread around least) before I commit the runes to the armor. Thanks for the suggestion about the immob removal trait though. That adept line is such a hard choice for me so I tend to go back and forth on what to take.