The V.8759

Tools Traits with Mech skills Mechanized Deployment The Minor Master trait "Mechanized Deployment" is supposed to reduce the cooldown of toolbelt skills by 15%. Yet, it doesn't work on any of the Mech Toolbelt skills. I've been testing it with every single toolbelt skill for Mech, but none of them seem to get a reduced cooldown. Kinetic Battery Simply not working with Mech Skills. Strange Mech skill behaviour Mechanical Genius is supposed to give a 50% cooldown increase on Mech Toolbelt skills if further away than 360 units. However, this malus is also applied when clicking the skill with your mouse instead of pressing the corresponding key.

I've just come back after a few years. I've always been a mostly PvP player and enjoyed it vividly. Now, there may be some nostalgia to my vision, but here we go: Damage output There is just too much damage flying around in the game. With the tankiest amulet out there being Paladin, the game revolves around very short fights, where you either kill or be killed. Everything has to be extremely high dps to function in PvP, except for a slightly tanky elementalist and guardian due to kits. This creates a PvP environment where you aren't really able make smart decisions based on which skills your enemy is using; there are way too many skills to dodge/block etc. Thus the functional builds are A: the ones that can output insane damage in a short time, or B: The ones that have enough skills extremely defensive skills (Defy Pain etc.) that can outlast said damage output. Fights don't feel like you've been outplayed anymore. CC Most CC abilities don't deal a whole lot of damage anymore. Which seems like a fair trade-off. However, stability has for some classes also been extremely tight, especially with the low stability durations it has these days. This creates an environment where you're encouraged to chain CC the enemy, while the rest of the team deals damage, which in my opinion, is not engaging a gameplay. Just focus the target and hope your team stands in the end. A nostalgic view I'm taking triple kit engineer as an example here. We used to run it with Soldiers Amulet, which game an actual good amount of survivability. We had to react to an enemy, and pick the right kit and skill for what we needed at that point. Everything was slower. It was extremely rare to have a lot of might stacks by yourself and stacking might for your allies through purposefully blasting fire fields was actually important. But these days, it is given out like candy. Let alone that there is enough time for these kinds of actions in fights. Those small tactics have become absolete simply because everything else has become overloaded. I wish I had a good time returning to this game, but I guess I got my hopes up. I shouldn't have thought they might have made PvP more competetive after breaking with ESL. No, it has just become an arena hack-and-slash

I'm actually quite happy with hammer from a PvP perspective. On paper, greatsword can offer a bit more defense due to higher mobility and block, but also having a burst skill. However, the ability to have big cleave abilities, on demand CC (with unleashed swap) and quite hard hitting burst abilities, I'm quite happy as it is

Mech Skills and Tools traits Mech skills do seem to function as a "Toolbelt skill". Vigor is gained and Static Discharge works. However, its cooldowns do not seem to get reduced by Mechanized Deployment.

I understand where you're coming from, but as others have pointed out, that would leave the Mech without any real weakpoints, which I personally think should be an inherit design of any class in this game. Aside from that, this has always been one of the biggest weaknesses for engi in general aside from some lackluster FT builds. As for a tip: Try to use the shadowstep signet as a stunbreak. Distancing disallows your enemies to stunlock you again after you stunbreak 🙂

I've come back to the game after about two years, and am really only interest in PvP, so keep that in mind for my feedback: Untamed feels out of place. I'll bring that down to a few bullet points: - Ambush: Some of the ambush skills feel... awkward. I'm mostly referring to the shortbow skill, as you're spamming auto attacks, the ground targeting could fly at any direction where your mouse currently is, but this might be a skill issue as i'm a pleb. But hey, plebs are the majority of the playerbase I guess. Aside from that, it feels weird that only the hammer has untamed versions of its skills. Like, c'mon, that just feels lazy. - Pet: The abilities the pets gets from untamed feel... out off place. The lack of customization in that really doesn't fit the way ranger is. Of course having a projectile dome is useful, however, it follows the pet and is not stationary, making it even more awkward. It would have felt much more rewarding to make good choices in your build to have the right tools. - Role: From one side it feels as if the Untamed was ment to be a cc bruiser, at least when we look at a few traits and the design of the hammer. However, ranger doesn't really have good other weapons to go with that. Some of the longer cooldowns in GW2 in general, make it that you want to be able to swap weapons and have another set of weapons to go with your build, that are off cooldown. Ranger doesn't have any weapons that go well with the hammer. Sword could be seen as a bruiser ish weapon, but the off-hand options lack any CC. - Condi: Some of the abilities seem to be designed for a condition damage role, mostly the exploding spores. This would have been a really cool feature, however none of the traits synergize with that. All the grandmaster traits are focussed on extra strike damage, and the top one is mostly for CC, which only shortbow 5 could really apply. Conclusion The Untamed is cool from the perspective of the idea, but feels unfinished. It is inconsistent and lacks identity. What role do you want it to be? It also lacks any synergies with existing weapons and traits. It has an identity crisis

I'm confused why they didn't change the thematics and made this a ranger class. A more customizable pet? It keeps in line with class mechanics. Now we just get a whole different class, nothing that resembles the playstyle of an engineer. Just thematics are in line

I laughed my kitten off looking at the showcase of Mechanist. The behaviour of the Golem was atrocious, sometimes randomly running off etc. They should 've learnt from Scrapper and not make another AI class

My god. I haven't played gw2 in a while, but I was curious to see wether I should buy the x-pack and start playing again. As an engineer main, that decision was all leaning on this spec. But this is just a spec. Honesty, this class has nothing to do with the playstyle of an Engineer. It doesn't use any of the 'engineer class mechanics' at all Thematics aside, this is literally a weird ranger. Removing the toolbelt skill is like removing swapping elementals on elementalist and giving it a cute pet in return. It just doesn't make sense. I'll keep an eye out for changes they might make, but so far, this is a big nope for me. Btw, haven't they learnt from Scrapper to not go for another AI class?

I love it too! Experience is ruined by bots tho. Im low gold, and encounter at least one every other game

So we no longer have a proper 1200 range weapon?

Totally aggreed. Utility Goggles are completely out of line with their concept. One thing that also off-puts me a lot on current utility-goggles, is that the toolbeld skill is quite niche. In PvE, it is rarely going to be of any real use, and in PvP, it really depends on your matchup. One thing to note, is that utility goggles also have overlap now with rocket boots, both functioning as a counter to soft cc (albeit in a bit different way). To be honest, a full scale gadget rework is long overdue. A few changes are really needed in general: - The toolbelt skills should categorize as gadgets, just like elixirs. - Gadgeteer should have a general effect that is the same on all gadgets, just like HGH, to streamline them a bit. As for now, it's really hard to go for a 'gadget build', since they have vast different usages. Making it really hard to pick gadgeteer while you only have 1, maaaaaybe 2 gadgets.

I see there's quite a few different reactions. Some saying about complaining. I'm not complaining, I was actually looking for constructive feedback. A few people suggested it's fine since it aso gives AoO. Which is a fair argument. Other's kind of agreed since it was both nerfed in CD and damage, which might have been a tad much. Anyway, I've come to understand the reasons and arguments behind the current state of Maul better, and that was all I'm looking for 🙂 Thanks for those contributing actual arguments

Maul, one if the hardest single hitting abilities we have, seems to have a really low damage profile in PvP (and also WvW, but it's easier to get more stats there to increase damage). Even with berserker amulet, 25 stacks of might and maxing possible ferocity through traits, it hits 3,8K tops. I understand this can be increased with opening attack and such, but there's so many circumstances needed, that in the chaos of PvP, this is almost impossible to reliably achieve. Do you think Maul should be hitting a bit harder? For comparison, Rapid Fire deals much more damage, can be cast from long range, is multihit (so a large chance that at least part of the attack hits) and doesn't even have a big tell. Already answered enough. Thanks

So, here's the situation. I recently returned to the game, have been playing again now for about two weeks. I used to play mostly PvP, around when real ranked came out (when it was ruby etc). I love the 2v2's, but I started noticing something. I'm low gold, but about every other game, I'm with a player that is an exact copy of this: - Doesn't talk - Mirage - Asura in a automatic character creation outfit There are dozens of these going around in PvP. And as usual, I just report them and block them. But then, even a week later, I'm still getting matched up with them, even after blocking and reporting! Seriously, I don't see how these are going 'undetected' by the system, even by how they play, it is the same every time. I love PvP, but this experience is definetly ruining it for me. Why is there nothing being done about this? Geniune question

Of course the role of protection would work. But honestly, your damage is going to abbysmal. You could easily swap Blast Gyro for Purge Gyro and then take hammer. You would have more cleanses, albeit a little bit less protection. However, it exponentionally increases your damage output while staying as tanky if not tankier than before. ofcourse also change runes to something with power.

Lets get a few things straight: - It is just a random suggestion. I aggree it might be too powerful, but at least mroe thematic to the specialisation - Scrappers indeed had quickness before, which was even more flawed since it was self-quickness - I know you don't have to use hammer. But elite specialisations are designed to work well with the weapon they get. I'm fine with the weapon lacking synergy with a few traits, but this is straight up anti-synergy. I know you use many other weapons and kits, but the point is that elite specialisation traits and weapon should not be working against one another.

I find it extremely weird that they even thought about adding Quickness for the scrapper. I can understand that they want to give scrapper a more supportivee role, since a "bruiser" role doesn't really have any use in PvE. However, it just has a lot of antisynergy with hammer skills. it decreases your reflect duration on 2... It reduces dash distance and evade frames on 3, it even decreases the duration you can block with skill 4 (yes, since it does damage, it is affected by quickness). I can't wrap my head around that. Something that would fit much more IMO, would be to have scrapper give barriers to allies, and then some buff to allies who have that barrier or whatever. But quickness is just flawed

I strongly believe that warrior is actually the balanced class atm. The fact that stances are not the main sustain tool is good, since they are wayy too passive for this game (PvP). I wish they would nerf many classes, including my main engi, to bring it to warrior level.

At this point, turrets would just become fancy animations for different skills with charge counters. And oftenly associated with CC (freeze turret, rocket turret, thumper turret). This sounds really familiar. It is actually the same treatment they have already given to gadgets.Gadgets also are just fancy animations for different skill effects. They are often associated with CC (slick shoes, AED toolbelt, personal battering ram, throw mine) and some of them have charge counters (rocket boots, personal battering ram). Sorry, but this is not "thinking outside of the box", this is literally just repeating what they already did with another skill category for the engineer in a past rework.And I think the whole charge mechanic fits better on the gadgets. Might be that we have to find a different approach for turrets, but this is definitely not it. Having 2 skill types which are basically the very same mechanic, just with different names, is extremely boring and uninspired. I get what you're coming from, but trying to keep to make turrets 'different', as a static boring things that gets killed anyways, feels like beaitng a dead horse. I'dd rather have a skillset that is not as 'special' but actually usefull. I'm pretty confident if we want turrets to be things that stay on the battlefield, it is going to be another fail, more recourses wasted.

I think we should think further out of the box. There's another class that has a useless skillset in a similar category: Spirit weapons on Guardians. I think we should let go of the idea that turrets remain in place for a long time. The game is simply not made for it. I would rather see the following:Spirit Weapons and Turrets become the same categoryPairing them up in the same category would allow them to interact in possible future runes (such as shouts and traps have runes). This would also streamline in how these skills function. Just need a good name for this category. How category functionsTypical about the category would be that they all summon a weapon thats does effect x and then disappears. All of them would have ammunition mehcanics. Yes, even healing turret. Overcharge skills would disappear. An example of how skills would look (don't take in account balancing too much): Healing turretCount recharge: 10sCasts: 2Cooldown between casts: 4s.Only does current overcharge ability on cast (no initial heal). Overcharge happens immediatly after summoning. Rifle turretCount recharge: 20sCasts: 2Cooldown between casts: 2,5sDoes its's current overcharge ability on cast. Adjusted to shoot an enemy every 0.5s, lasting 5 seconds. Rocket turretCount recharge: 30sCasts: 2Cooldown between casts: 10sRain down a barrage of rockets in the selected area (similar to artillery strike, charr racial), but rather fired from a turret that deploys at your locations after selecting the AoE location. So actual projectiles are used. It should follow a similar projectile path as the rocket toolbelt skill, but a slightly higher velocity. Thumper turretCount recharge: 40sCasts: 2Cooldown between casts: 15sUse it's current overcharge ability, otherwise unchanged. Flame turretCount recharge: 30s.Casts: 2Cooldown between casts: 8sDeploy a flame turret at the target location. The flame turret engulfs the area around it in flames (similar to flame bomb), pusling burning and ticking damage. After 3 seconds, it leaves a blackened area, leaving a smoke field that pulses blind 3 times. Net turretThis skill should definetly be reworked into something more fitting of a turret. Something that immobilizes is good, but I think it fits better to have it be similar to 'Muddy Terrain' from the ranger: Immobilize in an area and apply something like slow. Example:Freezing TurretCount recharge: 30sCasts: 2Cooldown between casts: 5Chill the targeted area around the turret, applying chilled every second for x seconds. On the last tick of the turret, stun enemies in the radius and apply frost aura to allies in the radius. One last important thing:All turrets scale off your own stats

You know what, looking into it, yeah, inventions needs a rework badly, too.Weirdest thing in that whole trait line: the minor grandmaster trait grants additional healing power if you have regeneration... But not only is there no regeneration source from the other minor traits anymore, but the entire trait line doesn't provide any source of regeneration?Absolutely no synergy with the rest of the trait line. And it is true that the entire trait line feels random. There are no leading thematics for the seperated lines, I don't think inventions needs a rework. It needs a few adjustments on traits.I also think it is actually good that the trait line doesn't already offer regeneration. This means, that you want to look for synergy with your skills or other traitlines. It's about regeneration, which flies around like sweet buns anyways.

You mean core engi? Honestly, only thing that would come to mind is a condition core engi with elixirs. But it's more of a thing that can be used in bronze/silver, but above that, you'll get melted

This question is much harder than it seems. Not because of the many builds out there, but because of the defenition of 'tankiest'.First of all, we have tankiest as in hardest to kill. Well, as KrHome has stated, that would easily go to thief. Thief is able to escape, reset fights, dodge much more etc. The thief can decide to ditch out and wait cooldowns again. Therefore making it the hardest to kill. But I guess that's a lame answer you're not looking for. Second we have tankiest as in able to take most hits and survive after all. The problem here is, what is the use of that. Naturally I could say a full distortion mesmer. With that, you're able to literally not being able to be hit for quite long windows. Combine that with some smart blinking around and dodging windows, you can survive for hella long. In practice, this would never be useful. Being a tank is really only useful when you can hold a point with it. Distortion prevents point capture contribution, so you are literally useless with this. There are several things a build must have in order to accomplish 'best' status as a tank. First of all, we have stability. It is required to have good stability uptime to prevent stunlocks that allow bursts. It must not only have big condi cleanses (against condi bursts), but also consistent (cleanse few conditions but often). It must have big heals but also sustain. Finally, its stats must be high (vitality and toughness). Vitality is probably the most important one. We mustn't forget that players are human after all, and they make mistakes. Vitality allows you not to die as quickly from those mistakes, therefore making it essential to any build. With these conditions set, my bet would go to an actual useless build for PvP. This would be a full tank weaver. Now hear me out.The place where weaver doesn't meet my specifications, is mostly its vitality. However, the weaver has something to compensate for that: high ammount of barriers.It would need sword with either focus (invuln) or dagger (cc and heal/condi cleanse).You're just useless cause the traditional tanks (FB, tempest) will be able to tank slightly less, but support team much more. So yeah… Hope this helped

Note: I'm not typing this because I hate the current specs, I'm typing this because Guardian specs just don't feel satisfying to me from a design standpoint. I'm mostly curious in how you would view this opinion and what you find charming about the Guardian! Playstyle standpointThe guardian's core mechanic are his vitues: Justice, Resolve and Courage. With every elite spec that gets released, it's virtues remain the largely the same but changed in a slight way. On Justice on Dragonhutner you get an extra pull ability, on FB you get the tome of Justice. But in the end, it's Always still about that burning. No matter how you change the active on the other 2, they are still about healing and Aegis. This resultst in, for me, a boring elite specialisation. Firebrand was designed to be a condition class. But because he has tomes of Resolve and Courage, and they had to be revolving around healing and aegis, it became a bunker. Long story short, the core mechanic of guardian barely changes per elite spec to me. Lore standpointA guardian has 3 important virtues, but a guardian can become especially specialized in one field of work. Why doesn't that new specialisation allow for different virtues? A Dragonhunter might find the virtue of "Bravery" more important, and interchanges that with justice. A Firebrand might find the virtue of Prudence way more important. Guardians are bound to Virtues, that's their lore, what they find most important. But nothing in lore (as far as I know) is binding them to 3 specific virtues. The Guardian descriptipon reads: ConclusionPersonally I would love to see in future Elite specs, that Guardians would get different virtues, effectively and actually chaning their core mechanic. Still keeping a passive and an active, but different. No more "burning, healing, Aegis". I would love to hear what you guardians think about this :)